In honor of the “Day of the Teacher,” the California Retired Teachers Association, Division 17, has donated to the Lompoc Public Library $200 to purchase books for their children’s section.
The local organization of the CRTA honors all teachers, but especially those teaching in Northern Santa Barbara County. We are proud of the teachers and how they affect the lives of the children. They are the front-line troops helping all segments of society to fulfill their dreams.
It’s rare to find someone who hasn’t had at least one teacher who has made an immeasurable impact on his or her life. Teachers are all the more remarkable because they are so numerous. What kind of society produces so many men and women who are willing to spend their careers in a generally underpaid profession, constantly striving to meet often overblown expectations, all too often in working conditions that are, to put it mildly, hardly ideal?
The teacher’s reward is the gratification of opening young minds to the world around them and to provide them with the life skills they need to succeed. They are always searching for ways to encourage and challenge the future generation. But most of all, they are constantly reaching out and trying to help, because that is their greatest fulfillment.
So May 14 might be celebrated as “Day of the Teacher,” but we believe every day should be designated as such. We salute all teachers for a job well done.
This article appears in May 14-21, 2009.