Teacher Appreciation – Those Behind the Teacher

Now I was not a math teacher, but I believe that this would make entry number 3 in the postings for teacher appreciation week. I am going to add another entry for those that help our young people live up to their potential and keep this country going. However, this one isn’t exactly about teachers. Today, I want to talk about what it is that makes our teachers as good as they are. The old adage is that behind every great man is a great woman. For today’s writing, it will be behind every great teacher is a support staff. While I understand that there is a professional assistant day and days for others, I truly believe that we would be amiss in not recognizing those that give the teachers what they need to do what they do.

I want to talk about the rest of the staff that make up a school. I was going to call them support staff, and while I do believe that the teachers stand on their shoulders, I would rather picture them side-by-side with the teachers.

Ever since my first days of school, I can always remember seeing men and women around the halls and offices. They were always busy doing something, but never so busy that they did not have time to stop and wave, smile, or say hello to the students. As an elementary student, I had no idea what they did. I knew them as Mr. So-and-so or Ms. So-and-so. We knew they worked with the teachers, but their jobs were secret. Okay. We did know what the custodian did. He was the person who magically made all of the mess disappear. The school would have messes and spills when we left each afternoon, but somehow this person, much like the cobbler’s elves, whisked through the building each night to give us a sparkling school each morning.

Seriously though, we loved when the teacher would select us to take things to the office. It gave us the chance to go down to the place where the nice ladies answered phones and talked with the students. We wondered what it must be like to just sit at a desk all day and answer the phone. The other adults at the school could be seen all around the building. We could see them in the lunch room, out on the playground, driving the busses, and cutting grass. But again, as far as students knew, the teachers did everything around the school, and these people were just there.

Once I made it to high school, it was a little easier to understand the work these people did. Our school had a good number of after-school activities so we hung out after the 3 o’clock bell. By staying around, I finally got a chance to see how hard these people worked. The office personnel would be sifting through piles of work. The custodians, while working hard all day long, really came out and started moving through the school – follow a custodian for an afternoon, it is disgusting what is left for them to handle. You had a chance to see just how much work it took to keep the school running. These people were always friendly, always willing to help out students, and always hard working.

Let’s jump ahead to being part of education. This is when you really, finally, understand just what it takes to make a school a welcoming place. As a teacher, you come to depend on every single person who works in the building. You also understand that these hard-working people are not always given their due respect. Within the different schools, I have witnessed how those in the front office can be the first line of defense for the teachers. When angry parents come in, they are normally the first person to receive the parents. I have watched as the calm down people to the point that a normal conversation can happen. I watched finance people work with a line of parents at the end of a school year as parent after parent informs them that their child would never have lost a textbook or racked up fines for other things. Walk through the front office and see the work that is happening there and then walk out of the office into the halls. It is like walking into another world. The people in the front office try hard to keep the chaos out of the school.

I know I have already talked about custodians, but I must bring them up once again. The men and women go through their jobs alone. There are times when I would be working late, and as you walk through the halls you see the piles of trash that have been brought of the rooms. I have watched these silent workers down on the hands and knees cleaning up stuff stuck to the floor or repairing things so all would be ready for the students come the next day. I also want to state that as a teacher there was no better friend than the custodian when a student would lose his lunch in your classroom.

Then there are people who fill the roles of campus supervisors, cooks, bus drivers, and so many more. Each of these people come to work every day and quietly go about their jobs. So many of them are left off the accolades when it comes to thanking the people who take care of our children. Yet, every day, they do just that.

As a teacher, these people are no longer Mr. So-and-so or Ms. So-and-so. They have names. I know that it is because of them that teachers can do what they need to do. I understand that they work just as hard in making sure that things are done so that teachers can concentrate on teaching and students can have a safe, inviting place to come learn.

So if you have a reason to visit a school, please take a moment to acknowledge these hard working men and women. All too often people walk by them not even recognizing that they are there. Stop for a second, say hello, say thank you.

Thank you for meandering with me today.