歪歪漫画

Getting through high school today takes work.

We honor graduates at the end of the school year for their efforts. We put their pictures in the paper. Their scholarships and other awards are recognized.

We even allow them to leave school a few days earlier than the other students. All this is good. After all, they just completed 12 years of trying to be on time, getting their homework done, getting to know what their teachers want and don鈥檛 want, and doing all this while still being in the choir or band and playing hockey.

So all of the pomp and circumstance we bestow on our graduates is deserving.

If you were to ask teachers if they should be recognized for their efforts in getting students through school, 99% would say, 鈥淣o thanks. I look forward to a little peace and quiet during the summer.鈥�

Teachers are very modest people. They don鈥檛 want to stand out in front of the crowd. They are satisfied with standing out in front of their students.

Still, if they were to give awards to teachers, here are a few of the awards deserving of teachers.

I call them gold star awards. Long ago, teachers would put a gold star sticker on a student鈥檚 spelling test or attendance sheet. In the days when awards were not as plentiful, receiving a gold star was a big thing.

So, here is my list of gold star awards.

Let鈥檚 give a gold star to every teacher. You made it through another year. You did your best to make learning meaningful for your students. Have a relaxing summer.

Let鈥檚 give a gold star to every teacher who had near-perfect attendance. One of the challenges in today鈥檚 education is finding substitutes to fill the vacancies when teachers are absent. Touring the former Soviet Union schools years ago, I asked what they did when a teacher was absent. They said, 鈥淲e just fill in.鈥�

In the United States, we find a substitute, which is not always easy. I believe we need to 鈥渇ill in鈥� more.

Let鈥檚 give a gold star to teachers who made a 鈥済ood news鈥� call to a parent. A 鈥済ood news鈥� call is when the teacher tells a parent how much their child is appreciated and what more the parent can do to help.

Let鈥檚 give a gold star to any teacher who went beyond the call of duty to help a student graduate on time. They may have had to spend extra hours with a student before, after, or during their planning period.

We recognize that all students learn differently; for some, it takes different ways to connect with students.

Let鈥檚 give a gold star to veteran elementary teachers who followed their students through high school and may have even attended the graduation ceremony realizing they were partly responsible for their former students doing well enough to graduate. You might say that they helped plant the graduation seed.

Let鈥檚 give a gold star to those teachers who truly made learning fun, enjoyable and meaningful, and worked hard at it. This is the most challenging part of teaching. How does one make learning meaningful every day?

Let鈥檚 give a gold star to veteran teachers who helped inexperienced teachers succeed by showing them the ropes.

As Sue Bruns noted in her column last week, it is essential that we encourage young people to enter teaching and that once they do teach, we do our best to mentor them and help them find success. We can鈥檛 afford to lose good teachers.

Let鈥檚 give a gold star to teachers who attended their share of extracurricular events and saw their students perform outside the classroom. The community needs to see teachers outside of the school setting, and so do the students.

Let鈥檚 give a gold star to any teacher who attended a graduation ceremony. This is what education is all about. This is the ultimate goal. Graduation means crossing the finish line. Being first or last to cross the line doesn鈥檛 matter. What does matter is crossing the line.

Let鈥檚 give a gold star to any teacher who read one or two books this past year about teaching or attended a conference or seminar that helped them be better at what they do.

Let鈥檚 give a gold star to teachers who always welcomed their students with a smile and called them by name.

Let鈥檚 give a gold star to teachers who recognized that a particular student was not doing well and consulted with other teachers and the principal or counselor to find ways to reach that student.

Let鈥檚 give a gold star to teachers who taught for 10 or more years and still find teaching satisfying enough to get into the 鈥渢renches鈥� every year and work with kids.

They recognize that education is as satisfying as any profession, even though they don鈥檛 get as many gold stars as they deserve.

Riddle: How do you get a liberal arts graduate off your porch? (Answer: Pay him for the pizza.) The best thing about graduating from high school is looking for the adventures that follow, even though it may be delivering pizza.

It was great to see and read about our area's many wonderful graduation exercises. It is a shame that 100% of our youth don鈥檛 experience it.

John R. Eggers of Bemidji is a former university professor and area principal. He also is a writer and public speaker.