Monday Musings - Teachers

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week.  That has got me thinking about so many things.  I love teachers - I have been a teacher and now my daughters are both teachers in their own ways.   

Heather teaches kindergarten in Tyler TX.  She is an incredible teacher and I love to watch her with her students.  She is dedicated to her job and to each individual child.  She is giving them a great start to their education and plenty of reasons to love school.

Ashley teaches teenagers at church.  She is also a wonderful teacher and she is making an eternal difference in these kids lives as she teaches them the truths of the gospel.  She loves her students and invests in their lives in so many ways.

I had a lot of wonderful teachers growing up.  I still remember my kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Schoonover.  I loved her.  She was a little older lady with her hair in a gray bun.  She was kind and she started my love for school.  My 4th grade teacher was Mrs. Neal and I absolutely loved her.  That was my favorite grade of elementary school and she was a big part of that.  I had an English teacher in Jr High named Mrs. Johnson that I thought was really cool.  Then there came High School.  I had so many great High School teachers.  Four stand out in my mind -  Mr. Johnson who taught History - Ms. Pope who taught Government - Senora Burger who taught Spanish and my favorite - Mrs. Hinton who taught Senior English.  All of these teachers imprinted my life in numerous ways.  It is really because of them that I became a High School teacher myself.  They made learning fun and interesting.  They were all tough - but I really loved that.  As long as a teacher was good -- I was willing to work really hard.  

I loved teaching High School.  I taught Business and Psychology.  I loved my students - even the difficult ones (maybe especially the difficult ones!).  I also did Young Life where I worked with High School students and then Youth Ministry.  That love for teaching was deeply embedded in my soul I find that I am always teaching something.

I believe that teaching is a calling on a person's life - at least the good teachers!  There is a passion that drives you to be the best teacher that you can be.  There is a supernatural love that you have for your students.  There is that desire to make an eternal investment in their lives.

So - to all the teachers in my life and to all those out there teaching now - I salute you!  You make a difference every single day and I , for one, am deeply indebted to you!

Take a moment to appreciate a teacher that you know this week!