Stacy Matthews is a second-grade teacher. She has been teaching now for fifteen years. The day to day of being a teacher is something that is also part of her home life. She is a mother of three school-age children. She gets up for school at least 20 minutes before her children wake up. She returns home from school at least two hours after her children get out of school. Then, she completes the responsibilities of a wife and a mother. She cooks dinner and helps her children with their homework. Once dinner is over, she spends a few hours with her children and her husband catching up and enjoying family leisure time. Around 8:30, she prepares her children for bed including bath and story time. Once her children are settled, she begins part two of her day as a teacher, which is grading papers.

Mrs. Matthews is just one example of teachers around the country, who do not get enough credit or praise for their massive contributions to our society. They do not wear capes, fly, or have super strengths, but they are still superheroes. Here are four reasons why:

  1. Teachers shape the future.

The future of society and our world is in the hands of teachers. The next president, CEO, and tech innovator are sitting in our classrooms and being shaped by our nation’s teachers. That is a huge load to carry, but one that our teachers take on each day and do their absolute best to ensure they have what they need to be successful. Look at any successful person or someone who has made a significant contribution to our society. They can tell you about a teacher who helped mold them and believed in them when they were students.

  1. Teachers job extends beyond their workday.

As I mentioned with Mrs. Matthews, just because school lets out at 3:30, does not mean teachers are done. Just because Friday comes, does not mean they are done during the weekend. Teachers are working well after the time they get off work and even on the weekends. Teachers work on grading papers, creating lesson plans, and thinking about fun activities while they are away from school.

  1. Teachers have to deal with so many different people.

 Teachers have to deal with principals, parents, students, and other teachers. Teachers have to balance the many emotions and needs of other people. Not only do they have to balance those emotions, but they must do with a smile and care. Dealing with these many stakeholders can be very frustrating, taxing, and tedious. They have to find a way to deal with these stakeholders to still effectively teach the students.

  1. Teachers are given often unattainable goals.

The expectations are extremely high for our nation’s teachers. We expect them to have lesson plans that engage all students. We expect them to manage the multiple personalities and needs of all the students in their classrooms. Many teachers do these things with 30+ students in the classroom, and they do it with little resources. With everything against them we still expect them to do the impossible and make the unattainable goal a reality.

Real superheroes don’t wear capes, they TEACH!!!!

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