A Commerical with a Lesson

I saw a commercial today that showed a teacher reading a letter at her desk. The letter was from a parent telling the teacher "thank you" for taking time with her daughter. Then, it cuts back to a scene where the teacher is helping the little girl with her primer. The next clip is of a student standing in front of the class reading, and now it is time for the little girl to read from the primer. She reads beautifully. The teacher, sitting at her desk, smiles sweetly.

I'm not sure what the commercial was promoting. It might have been a church or something, but it gave me the feeling of "I want to be a teacher!" Of course, that's what all people who are in teaching want. We have an inate desire to mold children and guide them into the best they can be.

I had to remember that this was a commercial--and not reality. In reality, a teacher would not be sitting at her desk. He/she would be pacing up and down the rows checking for weapons (okay, maybe too extreme, but not always!). The teacher wouldn't have been able to meet alone with a student for tutoring for fear of some type of accusation or lawsuit. The parent's letter would more likely have read, "Please excuse Susie from school. She was tired, so I didn't make her go."

Yes, I am giving worse case scenarios. I'm sure there are those of you with beautiful moments. And others with far worse scenarios than I described. It is such a tough job. If you have any friends that are still in the trenches, please encourage them. If you have children who are in school, please teach them to respect their teachers and speak positively about the teacher in front of them. Our schools need so much help.