The other day, I typed into Google: “What are the five most important jobs in society?” The results weren’t surprising. Doctors, nurses, police officers, and firefighters were right at the top. Rounding out the list was a career that too often gets overlooked and oversimplified: teachers.
When you think about those other professions, no one would dare call them easy. Where would we be without doctors and nurses working endless shifts to protect our health? How many of us could handle the weight police officers carry every day, the knowledge that when they leave home, there’s no guarantee they’ll return? And who would argue that being a firefighter is simple? Strapping on 50 to 75 pounds of gear to run into a burning building is as courageous as it is dangerous.
And then… there were teachers. A profession that I’ve heard far too many people dismiss as “easy.” You’ve probably even heard the old saying: “Those who can, do; and those who can’t, teach.”
Let’s be honest, anyone who utters that phrase has clearly never set foot in front of a classroom. Otherwise, they’d know teaching is anything but glorified babysitting and summers off.
Those who have never taught don’t know the grind of designing fun, engaging, relevant lesson plans while also differentiating for the unique needs of every single student.
They don’t understand the energy it takes to capture, entertain, and educate a room of 25 teenagers who would rather be scrolling TikTok than sitting at a desk in the classroom.
They don’t know the agony of a 45-minute class period when you’ve had one cup of coffee too many and there’s no backup to tag in.
The truth is, teaching demands so many skills that calling someone “just a teacher” is almost insulting. Yes, we’re teachers, but we’re also counselors for students carrying heavy burdens. We’re interior designers, crafting classrooms that feel warm and inviting. We’re stand-up comedians, because learning goes further with laughter. We’re news reporters, breaking down current events in ways kids can understand. We’re confidantes for students who feel they have no one else. We’re parental figures when moms and dads can’t be there. We’re cheerleaders, copy-machine mechanics, and—on certain days—hostage negotiators when a student refuses to leave our classroom.
Our job is hard. Not “kind of hard.” Not “sometimes hard.” Really, relentlessly hard. It’s a profession where we constantly feel overworked, overwhelmed, under-appreciated, and underprepared all at once. And yet, every single day, we show up and pour ourselves, selflessly, into children regardless of what we may be dealing with in our own personal life.
Yes, teaching is hard for all the reasons above. But mostly, it’s hard because it matters. It matters on the first day of school, the last day, and every day in between. Rain or shine, hail or high water, teachers show up because the faces staring back at us from those desks aren’t just students. They’re the future of society. Every profession walks through an educator’s door: doctors, nurses, police officers, firefighters, tow truck driver, door dashers, etc.
Every single day, across this country, teachers shape tomorrow. And that is no small task.
So thank you, teachers. Thank you for showing up, for giving your best, and for being exactly what you were put on this earth to be: AWESOME.
– Alan Krenek, COO of Edtomorrow