So God made a Teacher

So, as many people across America, I watched the Superbowl last weekend. While watching it there was a Dodge commercial, featuring the voice of Paul Harvey. I grew up listening to Paul Harvey with my dad and enjoyed this commercial and what it stood for... showing the hardworking farmer of America, someone who often does not get enough credit for their job. And while doing it, I was thinking "someone needs to do this for teachers". As a teacher, I know we are often overlooked and right now even unfairly villainized as many governors look at their state budgets and decide where to make cuts. Well... I decided to write a similar poem, crediting the idea to Paul Harvey, in honor of teachers everywhere. I am proud of what I do and proud of my hardworking colleagues. I hope you have a teacher in your life you can be proud of. I chose this field for the children. :)

And when the children came, God looked down at their beautiful faces and said “I need someone to help shape them”. So, God made a teacher.

God said “I need somebody to put in countless hours of planning and preparation outside of their workday, in the early mornings and late into the evenings, and then spend the day teaching these beautiful faces to read, write, and believe in themselves.” So God made a teacher.

“I need somebody with a large heart. Someone to bring a child into the classroom and show them love they may or may not be receiving at home, while educating them and teaching them that they are worth the world. Someone who takes the most precious person to a parent and treats them as if they are their own child. Someone who works with every child, no matter the learning ability, and shapes their education to fit them. Someone who helps every part of that child grow day in and day out, and then carefully pass them to the next grade.” So God made a teacher.

God said “I need someone who can fight for what they believe in. Someone who can turn a hardened shoulder towards people and governments who don’t believe their work is good enough, someone who can fight for education of children instead of education of standardized tests. Someone who can listen to the complaints that too much money is spent on education, and then smile even while spending their own hard earned money on supplies for each and every child in their classroom so that every child can learn.” So God made a teacher.

God had to have someone willing to give up their family time to planning and grading. Someone who would give up their lunch to a child who had none or give up their lunch break to a child who needed extra attention. So God made a teacher!

God said “I need someone who is willing to be paid less. I need someone who is willing to continue their education and who would give up evenings, weekends, and summers to further their education to show that they are life long learners, not only to set a good example for these beautiful faces, but to be able to serve these beautiful faces so that these children can choose who and what they want to be in life.” So God made a teacher.

It had to be somebody who was kind and patient… not easily deterred. Someone to cultivate, and teach. Plan, grade, learn, and then teach. Someone who is firm and consistent, loving and steadfast. Someone willing to put in the time and attention in school, in meetings, in analyzing past and present practices, while rarely taking time for themselves. Someone who understands the value of family, but who takes their cares home each night because of the 25 students whose lives they affect daily, and then smiles with pride, but also with fear, when their own son or daughter says they are going to spend their life “doing what mom does”. So God made a teacher!