Honoring Teachers: National Teachers Day

According to poet William Butler Yeats, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”

It has been a significant amount of time since I myself was in school, but after all this time, I still remember the special teachers that touched my life – as I am sure that you do too. Some we may remember for their unwavering belief in us, for their compassion, maybe for the values they taught us or the way they helped us understand the world and ourselves. They helped to shape us into the people we are today.

Teachers are interacting and investing daily with children and young people who will shape our future. It takes a special person to recognize that connection and it takes a special person to light the fire of learning, to raise our children’s expectations of/for themselves, and to never give up on them no matter how challenging it might be.

Teaching is a contract with the future - a commitment to a profession that requires a tremendous investment of personal time, energy and resources, one that calls for love, compassion, and dedication.

And so today, on National Teacher Day, I write this blog to honor and recognize these outstanding men and women who have always had –- and will continue to have – such an important impact on our lives. In gratitude and appreciation for all you do- Thank you!

My thoughts – and I welcome yours as well – is that America will only be as strong as the education that we provide our students. And at a time when our success as a nation depends on our ability to out-educate other countries, we desperately need dedicated, passionate and inspired teachers.