By Lee Trawick Riverbend News
Oftentimes, everyone picks a career that falls into their lap, causing them to say, "I wanted to do that, but I started this and I'm still here," or they found they loved where they work, but never before dreamed of that field.
However, this is not the case when it comes to our educators. Teaching isn't something done as a job or even a career, teaching and shaping youth is a calling. To some, teaching may seem basic. You get a curriculum from the school board and you follow it; you get three months off for vacation and students are finished with their day by three o'clock.
This couldn't be further from the truth. Educators get their curriculum and then have to customize 25 different ways to be able to reach each child in their classes. They also give up their free time to go to sporting events to cheer for their students, because they know to keep the students engaged, you must be able to have something in common and get to know them. They try to get involved in their students' lives.
Through it all, there are a select few teachers who go beyond what the rigorous school year asked. They stay after school to sit and make sure their students understand the material and they sit on the curb when everyone else is gone to make sure no one is left alone. There are those who will find a student sitting alone during lunch and just sit with them. Even if not a word is spoken, that student knows they are not alone. As involved as those teachers try to be in all their students' lives, no one knows what goes on behind closed doors at home. Therefore, those teachers learn to study body language, they learn how to be still and listen; they have learned their ear and shoulder speaks much louder than any words they could ever say.
They do all of this and their hearts break when their students break. They pour their souls into their students, with their only reward being a faint smile or the look in their students' eyes that let them know they just surprised themselves, because they never believed they could accomplish a certain task. For a teacher, the ultimate goal is to teach a student in a classroom but leave an impact on their life.
To honor the teachers and all who work in the school system, the Hamilton County School Board held a special banquet on Thursday, April 15. As the presentations began, it was quickly noticed that as grateful as everyone was for those being honored, no one knows how far these teachers and staff go to make a difference. As the evening came to a close, everyone felt humbled to be around such humanitarian giants, as well as extremely honored and inspired to be better as they display what "better" looks like every day.
Congratulations to all who were honored for the 2020-21 school year and thank you for your hard work.