Full disclosure: I’m a retired teacher, so I may be biased on this topic. But I’ve spent many years in schools, as a student and a teacher, and I think teacher appreciation is a great thing.
Every day, teachers manage to pull off minor miracles. Some are related to the 3 Rs. When a small child learns to read, it’s usually due to a teacher’s influence. When a student is turned on to science or math or history, a teacher has worked wonders. Many young people find their calling thanks to a class or an experience orchestrated by a teacher.
Perhaps more importantly, children often learn how to work with other people thanks to teachers. They help kids figure out the give and take of community. School is often the only place students see diversity. As teachers model tolerant and inclusive behaviors, young people learn how to accept themselves and others. Thank you, teachers!
But this year, saying thank you isn’t enough. Unfortunately, some people see teacher tolerance as a problem. Those who don’t want minorities and marginalized people to be included in our society often target public school teachers. They accuse teachers of introducing children to pornographic books. They attack them as “woke” people or even worse, pedophiles. Nothing could be further from the truth. These are lies designed to outrage the less informed.
Want to know the real story?
Read articles about the sources of these lies like this one from Book Riot: https://bookriot.com/moms-for-liberty-booklooks/?fbclid=IwAR3KSeBlmXXK7xOZEQtt8dZ3ED_LSDTYSpiI7ASU0qftH_ZRBsFejhOVptA
Learn more about book bans and other challenges at sources like
Unite Against Book Bans: https://uniteagainstbookbans.org
Look for the truth when you see a claim. Try fact checkers like these:
RumorGuard: https://www.rumorguard.org
FactCheck.Org: https://www.factcheck.org
Snopes.com https://www.snopes.com
And please thank your kids’ teachers. They need all the support they can get.
May next year’s Teacher Appreciation Week be a happier one.