There are few careers where you can't decide when to go to the bathroom or where you aren't mainly surrounded by people above age 18. Teachers make more sacrifices than you realize, and they're often unrecognized.

1. Teaching isn't a 9 to 5 job.

Teachers spend hours outside of school lesson planning, grading papers and tests and preparing for class.

2. Teachers are patient enough to be around kids all day.

Kids have a ton of energy and require a lot of patience. Most people aren't able to spend a day with 20 kids. Teachers aren't babysitters, but they have to keep track of several kids at the same time and make sure they're doing what they're supposed to do.

3. Teachers have a tremendous amount of influence on the next generation.

They serve as role models and teach children how to work towards their goals. Especially in grade school, kids are developing and their brains are like sponges (there's a reason cursing in front of kids is so frowned upon).

4. Teachers expose children to different areas to help them find what they are passionate about.

In elementary school, little kids are exposed to a bunch of different subjects at once.

5. Teachers teach life skills that are needed to be successful in the real world.

Think about it, you learned how to study and read in school. School was where you learned how to write your first essay (and likely where you learned how to write in the first place). It was also the first place you had responsibilities, even if they were as simple as putting your homework in a folder at the end of the day.

6. Teachers help with your college applications and don't ask for anything in return.

Remember when you had to include two recommendation letters in your common app application? A few of your teachers wrote those. Or remember when your English teacher senior year went over personal statements for all your applications? They helped you with those things because it was beneficial towards your future.

7. Teachers are passionate about their jobs.

They didn't choose their career because they want to become millionaires. Teaching is a very respectable and relatively stable career, but no one expects to get rich by being a teacher. It shows something about someone's character when they choose a career because they are passionate about it and want to make an impact on a child's life.

We all have that one teacher that made a positive impact on our lives during a time that was especially hard. It's not easy growing up, and teachers are there to inspire and help you reach your maximum potential.