Written on 24/04/2010 – 8:07 pm | by mikeharrison What is a
teacher? What do they do?* Not for the first time, I find my own
thought expressed within someone else’s words. “I make kids work
harder than they ever thought they could.” A teacher is a task
master. But more than that, a teacher is a motivator: “I can
make a C+ feel like a Congressional medal of honor and an A-
feel like a slap in the face. How dare you waste my time with
anything less than your very best.” A teacher is authority: “I
make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall in absolute
silence.” A teacher is the link between educational and domestic
life: “I make parents tremble in fear when I call home: I hope I
haven’t called at a bad time, I just wanted to talk to you about
something Billy said today. Billy said, “Leave the kid alone. I
still cry sometimes, don’t you?” And it was the noblest act of
courage I have ever seen. I make parents see their children for
who they are and what they can be.” A teacher is a spark: “I
make kids wonder,