“To be or not to be, that is the question”. Of course what I am realizing is that Hamlet actually meant is “To teach or not to teach, that is the question”.

The transition from student to teacher is definitely something that is unexpected and not what is imagined. When you are a student, sitting in the front row looking up at your teacher, you think (well, at least I did) that it seems so easy - to just stand in front of a room, call the shots, and of course, have all of the answers to every question life could possibly come up with. Granted, I saw that my mom had brought home papers to grade, emails to write and was constantly on the phone with work about some problem or another, but as a witty thirteen year old girl, (who at the time thought she knew all of the answers) I thought that grading papers was a piece of cake - I mean, you get to make the rules, how much easier can it get?

As I have progressed throughout my academic career, I have had the pleasure to come across some of the best educators who I would later idolize. These teachers were passionate, kind, and made the material being taught seem like a breeze - they made me believe that I not only had talent, but had the talent to change the world. Maybe it was because of this confidence that I wanted to become an educator myself - I mean, if all you had to do was sit in front of a class and inspire them, anyone could do that.

Now, flash forward to the present. A few weeks ago, I was sprawled out on my blue polyblend couch: sitting in front of my laptop, my Shakespeare textbook on one side, my education texts splayed out on the other, and the web tabs for the Common Core State Standards, National Council of Teachers of English, and the educational psychology journals all displayed on my screen. This was the first time I was tasked with what I thought seemed to be so simple my entire academic career- creating my first set of lesson plans. And it was in this very moment that I realized that my bratty thirteen year old self was so off base - being a teacher is a lot more work than I thought.

I had never felt so out of my element before. In all of my education classes thus far, I had always been taught to picture myself as a future teacher - who I will be, what I will stand for, and what I want my students to take away from my class when they left me in June. While all of this seemed to come almost instinctively to me, it never occurred to me that being a teacher is so much more than being a wise figure in a classroom - yes, you actually have to teach something.

But, the questions have now become: What do I teach? How do I teach it well? And that is something unfortunately, wasn’t written down in a textbook. Like great teachers, the textbooks can guide you, give you ideas, but don’t give you the answers. Not to mention, I am barely old enough to be considered a full blown adult, so how am I supposed to bestow wisdom or any sort of advice onto impressionable young minds, when I don’t even have the answers (let alone can walk up a flight of stairs without tripping over myself)?

Despite not having any answers or possessing any semblance of grace, I will say this - I have a newfound respect for educators. The amount of research, planning and creativity that goes into each lesson is not only extremely time consuming but also amazing. No wonder so many of the teachers I had were full of passion - for the amount of work that goes into that lesson, you have to be in love with what you are teaching (or at least be animated enough to get the message across). I wish students understood the amount of work that goes into what they are being taught, and maybe if they did, they would be more willing to learn. When those obnoxious kids in my class would ask my teacher “why should they care?” I wish my teacher showed them her lesson plans - because it would show them that she had to care, she thought it was worth them learning, so they should learn it too.

Not only this, but I wish there was less of a stigma that comes with the teaching profession. As any education major will tell you, one of the most frequent and infuriating questions someone will ask you is “You’re so smart, so why are you taking the easy route with teaching?” Maybe if the media didn’t paint education in such a negative light, teachers wouldn’t be overlooked. The fact is, teachers are some of the hardest workers. They never stop working. In fact, as the daughter of an educator, I can tell you that teachers are constantly bringing work home with them (or in some cases, to basketball games and softball practices) to prepare lessons and find ways to support their students learning. Teachers are staying up, writing emails to parents who are concerned about their child’s success. They are researching new techniques on how to reach their target demographic - one which isn’t always the most responsive. Teachers are staying late after school to offer extra help with a concept a student didn’t grasp, just so he or she can have a chance of mastering the subject matter. They also are required to follow core standards, school yearly goals and of course, find ways to still have their students learn despite all of the regulation. Teachers are also there to offer a listening ear to a student in distress (trust me, we have all done it - even me). Teachers do all of this, without asking for a thank you, recognition, or even a raise. Their job is thankless and demanding, yet without them, none of us would be where we are today.

Which is why I challenge anyone to attempt to write a lesson plan. One that meets common core and district standards, as well as a school’s yearly goals. One that is engaging yet full of material that needs to be covered. Oh, and it’s timed - that’s right, you only have an average of 50 minutes to teach everything that is required. Don’t forget the test prep!

This is why teachers deserve credit. Yes, teachers get to stand in front of the room, but it is the work out if the classroom that makes education one of the most important and rewarding professions.

So, come next fall, thank a teacher.