A Mother's Dilemma about Teacher Appreciation Week

There are few people I respect and feel thankful for more than those who care for and teach my children while I am at work.

They work hard, they're underpaid, and both of my kids are phenomenal examples of what good teachers can do, even with high energy kids--the changes in my kids over the last year have been miraculous. They've never been bad, but both of them have learned a lot and been excelling where last year there was struggle and uncertainty.

Next week is teacher/staff appreciation week. Both schools have sent out letters about all of the things they'd like us to do. I really want to. These people deserve to be honored and yet I look at my bank account and with the fundraisers coming home every two weeks and supplies needed and cost of childcare, I'm trying to figure out how to make sure they know how much they're appreciated. On my budget, that's not going to be easy.

There are notes and flowers, wish lists, gift card requests, food requests...I want to do it all, but in practicality, how many other parents are sitting and staring at the bank account right now thinking how am I going to pull this off?

I don't think it's any secret that teachers are underpaid and undervalued. Right now though, I'm underpaid too--the money that I wish could go to recognition and education, where is it going to come from? People talk a lot about taxes and education and how things were fine and that education needs to be lean and good. What people don't realize is that when we were younger, there was more money per person to go around. Now, schools are forced to ask parents for money constantly because no one else is funding the future. I have a hard time with people not wanting to fund education when they received a good education and that's why s/he is where s/he is today. We're selling out the children of this country and leaving the parents fully responsible for solving the problem of educational funding. Unfortunately, I don't think that parents are going to be able to scrape together enough to provide what is necessary for this country to compete into the future.

Back to the subject at hand: I know I'm going to do something to show the teachers and staff how much I appreciate them next week...I just really wish there was more I could do.