It's funny how we grow up surrounded by educators, yet we're fed the idea that teaching as a profession is a backup plan. From a young age, it's embedded in our minds that those who are educators fall low on the societal ladder. These ideas are constantly fed to us – to the point that it's common to hear things such as, “Those who can’t, teach.”

I rebuke these thoughts, these societal “norms” and these criticisms in the name of all the educators who have changed my life for the better.

Without these gurus, mentors and essential second parents, there would be a gap in the lives of so many people. Your teachers and professors are almost just as responsible for your development as your parents are. For these reasons, I’d like to change the extraordinarily disrespectful phrase of “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach”, to something more applicable. In order to be able to do, someone has to teach you how to do it. Educators are play a pivotal role in people’s lives because educators are those who can. Educators are those who can donate their entire world to someone else’s children, those who can change lives for the better and those who can inspire passion in their students solely because of the passion that's within them.

Teaching, just as nursing or law, is a calling.

When it comes to those who can, the ability to do is enabled by those who can teach them how to do it. We are not born mathematicians, literary geniuses or historians. We are not born knowing how to do much of anything, so let’s give some credit to those who inspired us to learn and bring people together.

In elementary school, my family and I moved from New York to Georgia so that my mother could further her teaching career. When you move to a brand new town in a brand new state, you don’t know what to expect. I walked the uncharted territory of my new classroom when it was halfway through the school year. My first day was February 14, and my class was having a Valentine’s Day party. Being as young as I was, of course, I was terrified of having no friends. My palms sweat and knees shook, and while on the brink of tears, I begged to go home – not home as in Georgia but back to where all my friends were, where I knew I would have cards and candy from my classmates, where I was comfortable and happy. Of course, this was not an option, but one can hope.

As my mother walked me through the seemingly endless halls, we finally were greeted by my first teacher at this new school. I choked back tears and said goodbye to my mother, then took the hand of a woman whom I would spend the rest of the school year with. My fears were washed away when I was greeted with thirty smiling faces, a Valentine's box the class had made for me and nothing but love. Later, I would come to find that my teacher, a complete stranger, had taken weeks preparing the class for my arrival. This woman, whom I had never even spoken to, already cared enough for me to make sure I made friends upon walking into the room. Though it may be a seemingly small gesture, it meant the world to that young and terrified girl who felt welcome.

Teachers are the people who can inspire hope in those who don’t believe they can.

Most of us go through periods of our life where we feel lost and seem to be floundering. When faced with these times, it is natural for people to break down or find an outlet. I was lucky enough in middle school to have found my outlet, thanks to one teacher that touched my life forever. In the sixth grade, I was required to take either chorus or band. Because I had prior experience in chorus, I decided to take that as my arts elective. I had no idea that this decision would play such a major role in my life. I enjoyed my chorus class very much because I was surrounded by girls my age with a similar interest. I didn’t see myself pursuing anything further than my required class because I lacked the confidence to do so. Then, one day, my instructor changed my perspective on everything.

My teacher was wonderful and cared more deeply for her pupils than I had ever seen. She asked that we refer to her as “Mama G”, and that’s the only name that seems fitting for her role our student lives. I was encouraged by Mama G to audition for an advanced, after-school chorus group that belonged to the school. Mind you, I had no vocal training, my tone was weird and I was not confident in myself. But eventually, she persuaded me to audition. I got into this group (as I later found out) not because of my vocal chops, but because my teacher saw potential and believed in me. Through this group and because of this dedicated woman, I not only developed vocal skills, but I developed a sense of self-confidence. For three years, I got to work with her and learned so much more than I anticipated.

Teachers are the people who can help those who need it.

This same educator became almost a personal mentor of mine. I spent every moment I could in her classrooms, at rehearsals and developing a relationship with her. She had taken me in, and I could not have needed her more. You see, in middle school I was pretty much tortured by bullies. Even after repeatedly asking administration, counselors and my parents for help, nothing had changed. Every day was a struggle for me to get through, and the only positivity I had was my chorus class. My grades began to slip, I began to lose interest in everything, and it seemed like a dark cloud was constantly looming over me. It had gotten so bad that my mother contacted my chorus teacher and explained to her how bad my grades had become.

The ultimatum was as follows: in order to remain in chamber (the advanced chorus group), I had to get my grades up to a B at minimum. Mama G took the initiative to sit me down and figure out what was actually going on. After explaining the constant torture I had endured, it was understood that I felt depressed. This woman dedicated massive amounts of her time to ensure my happiness and working towards better days when the people that I relied on for help had failed me. I was taught coping mechanisms, forward thinking and given resolutions to the conflict I had experienced. Despite only being required to teach me music, Mama G taught me to fend for myself and to power through some of my darkest days. If it were not for her dedication and kindness, I would not be the (kind of) balanced adult I am today.

Teachers are people who can spark interest in topics that would otherwise remain unexplored.

During high school and college, your vocation goals will change often. For me, this path changed about bi-weekly. Being this indecisive left me open to new topics and subjects and because of a few choice teachers, I developed interest in things that I never would've considered. When your passions follow you into your career, the people around you are heavily affected by it. For this reason, teachers and professors play a pivotal role in your career choices. To have the capacity to educate someone on what you’ve spent your entire life doing requires not only patience, but the urge to instill a devotion to this subject in your pupils. I have experienced this on several levels with many different professors, and my career path changed based on who was inspiring me that day.

It began with broadcasting, which I never expected to develop an interest in. My teacher had worked every position he possibly could have and knew his field inside and out. When he spoke about his favorite topic, there was light in his eyes that sparked an interest for the topic in all his students. I became sure this was all I wanted to spend my life doing. Simultaneously, I was taking an honors English course that changed the game for me. I had always enjoyed reading and writing; however, I had no intentions of monetizing it – until my professor suggested I become a published author. I was torn between these career paths which I never expected to fall in love with, and it ate at me for quite a while. Because of their collective passion for their field and my craving this sense of decisiveness, I was forced to make a choice.

I decided that the only way to remain true to myself, despite newfound passions, was to become an educator. Those who can, teach.

In order for our future generations to develop into balanced adults, educators sacrifice their entire lives. The lack of credit and respect given to teachers is indescribable and nearing heinous. Throughout my life, I have been touched and changed for the better by the prior mentors mentioned and more people than I could even begin to write about. This is a thank you to every professor, teacher, tutor or mentor that dedicated their time to me. Thank you for making the world a better place, for donating your lives to people that don’t necessarily see your hard work and for taking on a career that you truly need to be built for.

Let’s stop saying, “Those who can, do, and those who can’t, teach," and start saying, “Those who can, do, because they were taught to by a teacher.”