Teacher Perks

We are in the middle of Teacher Appreciation Week at my school. My mom, a third-grade teacher, had her Teacher Appreciation Week a couple of weeks ago. She explained how excited she was to arrive to her classroom door Monday morning to see that a parent had decorated it all up with her students' hand prints and colorful cut-outs of each of their faces. There was a crepe paper border and balloon die-cuts with real ribbon. Then, a Room Mother came in later that afternoon to watch her students while she got to take a lunch out on the town. These elementary teachers really do put in a lot of time and I am glad they get that recognition they deserve. It is always interesting, however, to compare the benefits of teaching in an elementary school versus a high school. I asked my students today if they knew that we are in the middle of Teacher Appreciation Week. They rolled their eyes at me, as if asking, "Are you for real?" I asked them if they were planning on doing anything for a teacher this week. (This was mostly in jest because I knew that nothing could be further from their minds than thinking up a surprise for a teacher that does not involve a prank of some sort.) One kid, Pierre, shouted out, "Two weeks ago, I brought you cookies that I made in Foods class! What more do you want?" Oh yes, he did bring me his burned batch of cookies. Very sweet.

Luckily, we teachers are not in this job for the gifts. However, today I reflected on a few fun perks that come with the position:

Perk #1: Yesterday morning I got to enjoy a delicious breakfast at Kneaders Bakery with the student body officers. The current officers kidnapped the newly-elected officers and took them to Kneaders as a fun surprise. Nearly all of us ordered the Chunky French Toast. Have you tried that stuff? It is to die for! It is all you can eat for around $5. The only problem is after two pieces, you feel like you are going to explode.

Perk #2: Twice a year, I get to take my students to La Caille restaurant. It is quite the place! You get a 6-course meal, including escargot, for only $28. It is fun to walk around the grounds and see the peacocks and bunny rabbits hopping around. This year they switched the dessert from bananas foster to crepes with ice cream and chocolate sauce. I guess some parents complained about the rum that didn't burn all the way off on the bananas flambees. The only problem with the ice cream crepes was that they gave you a fork and after the first bite, the ice cream burst all over your plate and left a soupy mixture that you couldn't help but want to lick up (after all, you did pay $28 for this meal!) in this high class restaurant.

Perk #3: Who does not want to return to Junior Prom each spring? Ours is held at the Capitol in Salt Lake. The best part was getting to borrow a Prom dress for free this year from the Cinderella dresses project. A teacher also gets pictures and cookies to make the deal even more sweet.

Did you notice that all the perks I listed above include food of some sort? I must be hungry. Well, teaching is a great profession. We have fun and get to make memories with lots of great kids and adults. It is not easy, but there is something new every day.