I met the woman pictured above while waiting for the Aquarium to open. She was holding tight to a little boy, talking to him, questioning him, keeping him engaged and happy. She seemed like an extraordinary mom to me until we started talking. She was not his mom, she was his teacher. She chose to spend the day with him in the aquarium, exposing him to something his parents possibly could not afford to take him. She promised him he did not have to go anywhere he wasn't comfortable and she wold not leave his side. She emphasized how special he was and how she chose to spend the day only with him.
I don't know anything about this teacher's statistics or what her supervisors think of her but I know the day she was spending with this child would stay with him his entire life. She taught and gave him more than anything she ever learned in an education class. She is a precious gift to the children she teaches.
There are so many teachers like this one out there, men and women who daily do more than teach to the test and deserve recognition. I don't know her name or where she teaches and she probably will never read this but that doesn't matter. She represents all that is good with the profession I loved.
