These days we do not hear about the best teachers who work hard to engage students. Seldom are teachers featured on talk shows or the local news programs for their dedication and vocation. We never hear about the teachers that are the MVPs of our school systems. Wouldn't it be amazing if teachers were to be appreciated and respected as much as our football, baseball or basketball players. Instead teacher bashing has become a sport. It seems that people forget that they ever went to school and that it was  a teacher who taught them how to read, write, and to learn to learn.

I often write about the teachers that touched my life. There were some that kept their distance and at times I believed that they simply did not care about me. But the intelligent, empowering, caring, inspiring ones certainly out numbered the inefficient ones. My first teachers were my parents. They taught me to love learning and to respect my teachers. They showed gratitude towards the ones that kept me focused and guided me to the pathways of success. 

This is why I started this website. Good teachers need to be recognized, supported and flaunted. Many of my teachers were gems; they became my mentors. It can't be that I am the only person that feels this way about teachers. Something must be done to stop the teacher bashing in this country. Teachers start with very low salaries compared to other professionals in other fields. Many teachers continue their education beyond a baccalaureate degree. Yet, many work under stressful conditions, in dilapidated buildings especially in the inner cities.  

We need bright, intelligent, enthusiatic, and caring teachers to continue to uphold the educational syetem in this country. There is no doubt that some teachers need to rethink their career chioce and realize that teaching is an art.  We may need to look at the role of parents and ask them to take charge and accept their roles as first teachers. 

A few of my former students who would have considered teaching as a profession have decided that teaching is not appealing in any way. They feel teachers receive little respect and they have to deal with too many variables. Many more very gifted and talented college graduates will stay clear of the teacher's lounge. It is not a lucrative nor is it a career that is given the respect it deserves.

Our country is at risk of becoming a nation of leaving education behind. How do we expect to attract the best if teachers are blamed for everything negative that happens in education. Something has to give.

I hope to make this website a showcase for the silent heroes who day in and day out help youngsters develop and expand their knowledge. I want to hear from you if you are willing to shout out and show off your worth as a teacher. Art is showcased in many venues. The teachers who have refined their practices must be brought to the spotlight.