I must admit I’m late on submitting this, and to be honest, late on THINKING of it—which is exactly one reason I feel it is so important to point out that today is Teacher Appreciation Day. Yes, I sent my kids to school with apples, but their school district actually does something pretty neat; they have Staff Appreciation Week this entire week.

Learning to appreciate our educators is something that we parents can take for granted. As busy adults, we are often amazed and pleased when our youngster comes home and proudly tells us the time after looking at a clock, or reads a caption on the television before we can read it out loud to them. All too often, we are not the ones who are instructing them on all these “little things” that we take for granted.

Teachers are a great gift. A GOOD teacher is a blessing. But it really does not end there. As my children passed out apples to office staff and crosswalk workers, I asked them, “What about the lunch lady?” Realizing they did not have enough apples, they replied “We have to bring back more! What about the librarian?!”

I have a saying I like to repeat, though I’m not sure where it originated. It says, “Never tell what you can ask.” Using that example, I asked my children this morning what each of their staff and teachers do for them. The list went on and on. I was amazed at not only the length they went on, but the enthusiasm with which they discussed it. From individual help I didn’t realize took place, to compliments I never had repeated to me, they boasted about their great school staff.

“She always smiles mom, and never raises her voice,” my daughter said. “I don’t think I will ever have a favorite grade other than kindergarten,” my son told me. By the time we arrived at school, bag of apples in hand, I wished I had brought a barrel. How can you spread a dozen apples between two schools after hearing comments like that about the principal, the music teacher, art teacher, the gym teacher, the counselor… the list goes on and on.

I know I speak for so many when I say that we as parents, though we may forget to say it, are eternally grateful. We can never fully appreciate all that you as teachers do because we are not able to witness every interaction and every block of confidence you add to the foundation we have set. On behalf of parents everywhere-— THANK YOU.

In the future, I hope that I can remember this lesson on a lot more days than just the when the calendar reminds me!