I like teachers.  They are the salt of the earth.  All of us can remember a teacher that took time to talk to us, help us with our school work, give encouragement and be our friend when we needed it.  From grade school to college there has always been a teacher for you and me to help us on our way.   Teachers are terrific--but hey, I am biased, without a doubt.  I'm a teacher.  

Some years ago, the National Education Association (NEA) had a movie called, "A Desk For Billie."  A semi-documentary about a young girl during the time of the great depression when her family loses everything in the dust bowl and moves hopefully to a better place for work.  Dirt poor no matter where her parents moved the family time after time, there was always a school, a desk and a teacher for Billie.  

Somewhat like Billie but because of World War II, we moved a lot--I moved eight times by the eighth grade.  And I can remember walking by myself to a school carrying a folder from my last school and telling the secretary I was a new student.  There was always a desk for me and a teacher who helped me along.  Not the best of an educational program but it was doable and I learned.  

This is a blog about teachers and some of the amazing teaching they do.  I hear from time to time people who say, "get rid of the poor teachers and I'll consider voting for the school bond." But in the forty five years of teaching and watching teachers do their thing in the classroom, I have yet to find a "poor" teacher.  Some were in the wrong grade level and a few were in a wrong district for their teaching styles but they were all good teachers.  They all have the welfare of the kids that were in their charge at heart.  

So with this preamble, I hope you will join me in describing and perhaps prasing some of the teachers of the world.  And if you were able to read this missive, "Thank a teacher."