After attending an exhausting 2 1/2 hour Open House at our daughter’s high school last night, I realized something very important. If we parents had to do today what our kids have to do at school every day, we might not be able to do it! And if we (who are not teachers) had to do for ONE DAY what the teachers do every day, we would need an immediate 2-week vacation!

I am not saying our generation did not have challenges when we were high school students, but I do not recall having as much expected from me as our daughter has expected of her. She is fortunate to attend one of top high schools (Catholic) in the USA in academics and sports, but I also was fortunate to attend a (public) high school similar to that outside of Chicago.

This is what I learned about my daughter’s daily life. . . First, her uniform must be perfect, and her shirt must be tucked in. Then there are heavy books for her to lug around and too much space to cover between classes for her to be able to stop at a locker. There is barely enough time for her to get to each class before the bell rings. Then she is expected to switch gears and concentrate on a new subject intently, and be ready for daily quizes, tests and essays in many classes. Her schedule rotates every day, so she cannot get confused about that. That means that her lunch changes every day as well, and sometimes she is extremely hungry by the time she eats. (I recall having the same schedule daily and eating lunch at the same time every day all 4 years of high school.) When she gets home from school or other activities, her brain is often overloaded. But she has hours of homework to do.

I am not saying this is a “bad” situation by any means, but it is rather demanding. I guess the world is a more competitive place than when I grew up, with our growing population, rising number of superstar students and limited spaces in our top universities.

As far as the teachers go, I have the utmost respect for them. (Sure, there is the occasional not-so-wonderful teacher, but that is much less common than great teachers.) Last night, our daughter’s teachers demonstrated their dedication and respect for their students through their brief summaries to the parents. I cannot imagine the pressure of getting my point across to 25 – 30 kids multiplied by 6 classes and making sure they can process the information and pass the exams. I really cannot imagine teaching the same lesson 6 times per day and teaching the same class year after year. Then there are behavior and motivation issues as well as some difficult parents for them to deal with.

We have all heard about “Teacher of the Year” awards. But what about the countless teachers who aren’t showcased and thanked publicly?  That’s where we as parents come in. Have you truly thanked your children’s teachers lately? If not, what are you waiting for? It can really motivate them to keep working hard to shape our kids’ lives. Let them know what difference they make in the world.

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