Teachers. Our Eyes, Ears, and Hearts.

As a young parent, the topic of school comes up frequently in our home. At times, I have a desire to home school our children because I always want to be able to instill certain values and principles in their everyday lives. At other times, I think about my own personal experience and some of the valuable life lessons that were passed on to me from the teachers that I was graced to know. Teachers. They are so important in our children's lives, our community, and the education inspired in the young generations.

I believe that we all have a teacher or two that we will always remember. Someone who has impacted us in one way or another during the course of our childhood and into adulthood. For me, there was one in particular that will always stand out. I remember her name, her face, and her presence to this day. My fourth grade teacher.

She was like a second mother to me. I would never say that she favored me or showed me any sort of special treatment, but there was something about her approach during this year of my life that stood out to me. She knew my situation at home well. This was the year that I was pulled out of school the most. My mom needing to go to her second job so I could watch my baby sister. Instead of asking quesions, or making the situation more difficult than it needed to be, she turned it into something positive. She gave me extra "practice" assignments at home, pulled me to the side at the beginning of class to see how I was doing, and would just give me that special squeeze of the hand, pat on the back, and a smile when I'd walk into the room. I remember her asking what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I told her "a teacher." She smiled. And then she said those words that stayed with me, "I believe you can be anything your heart desires. Don't ever give up."

Teachers have a powerful ability to effect our children's lives. So, let's celebrate them.

Let us celebrate teachers and what they do. The hard work that they put into their every day. The ability to care for our children as if they were their own. The desire to go above and beyond their call of duty.

Teachers are our eyes, our ears, our hearts. We put our trust in them to set rules and instill values that we stand behind. To model appropriate behavior and help us raise young, kind, loving adults.

Help celebrate teachers by registering their classrom with AdoptAClassroom.org, where they may be part of the REAL Change project and be eligible for funding to help with cost of supplies that many teachers have to spend their own money on. Did you know that 92% of teachers buy their own supplies, and on average spend about $1,000 a year.

Please take a moment to register and donate through AdoptAClassroom.org.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.