Students take notice: it’s time to give your teacher, professor, lecturer, or tutor the appreciation and gratitude they deserve. May 7 through May 11 is Teacher Appreciation Week, a time to reflect on the incomparable courage and hard work that teachers across the world put forth every day as they do their job. Any teacher will tell you that teaching is a challenging (but rewarding) vocation; it’s no simple task to explain great quantities of information to a group of students, whether someone’s teaching ESL lessons, online college courses, or a roomful of fourth graders. It’s a skill that many teachers make look effortless, but one that they deserve loads of credit for nonetheless.

So why is it so important to appreciate our teachers?

Teachers Shape Our Lives

Most of us have our teachers to thank for our success in life. Without the foundational lessons we learned in grade school, there’s no way we could have understood and mastered more complex lessons and concepts in our adult lives. The mere act of teaching a student to read, write, and verbalize a few dozen vocabulary words can have repercussions that extend far beyond the confines of a classroom. The ability to teach students to understand a complex mathematical formula might make the difference in whether or not they develop a fondness for the subject, which could in turn affect their career decisions later in life.

In other words, teachers don’t just dictate the contents of a lesson plan; they give their students a learning experience that plays a part in shaping their future. Teachers—more so than their lessons—have a very real influence on their students.

A Selfless Profession

Teaching also deserves to be celebrated for the mere selflessness of the job. Unlike most career-oriented occupations, most teachers don’t work for personal gain; they’re in classroom and lecture halls for the students because they care about the future of their society. There are very few people who have what it takes to devote their life to teaching, and their efforts nothing sort of noble. At the core of teaching is the desire to change someone’s life for the better, and it’s this charitable mindset that makes real and inspirational education possible.

The Challenges Facing Teachers Today

Although students (and parents) might appreciate teachers in any number of ways, that’s not to say that teachers lack their problems. One of the biggest problems facing teachers, particularly, though in the United States, is the perpetual lack of adequate resources in all areas of the job. Teachers are continually overworked, over managed, underfunded, and underpaid in public schools across the country. It’s a problem that causes low morale among teachers and lesser education from the students that suffer as casualties from the subpar education system.

A recent article in The New York Times details the general dissatisfaction among teachers. They cite lack of adequate compensation and school administrations’ lack of leadership among the biggest issues plaguing teachers today, though the article itself is much more comprehensive and deserves a closer read. Do your part to become informed about the problems facing teachers!

How do you honor your teachers?

What about you? How will honor your past and present teachers this week? Let me know!

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This guest post is contributed by Katheryn Rivas, who writes for online universities blog.  She welcomes your comments at her email Id: katherynrivas87@gmail.com.