In second grade every Tuesday, I ran outside to meet my teacher Ms. McLaughlin on the blacktop. Ms. McLaughlin would bring out a long jump rope and start a game we called School. Every student waited in line to take a turn trying to run through the rope. When successful, we had passed kindergarten and got to run and jump one time in the rope. This was first grade. Jump two times, second grade, and so on. I treasured those Tuesday recesses, because I got to play with Ms. McLaughlin.
Many of my favorite memories of my teachers are on the playground. When teachers stepped beyond the four walls of the classroom and connected with us through games.
Teaching is not easy. Standing in front of a classroom of 25+ students for hours, trying to manage 25 different personalities, and supporting those students’ learning is not easy work. After hours of teaching, most people would just want a break.
When recess comes around, the last thing most people would want to do is watch over kids on the playground. But thousands of teachers across the country embrace recess duty. They head outside with a smile on their face and not only jump into games with students, but teach students new games. These teachers amaze me.
So on National Teacher Appreciation Day, I want to say thank you to all teachers past, present, and future. And a special thank you to teachers who are heading outside to play with their students!
Thank you, teachers!
