30 Days of Gratitude – Day 4:
Express gratitude to a schoolteacher who made an impact on your life.

They arrive early; they stay late. They spend their weekends attending ball games, concerts, and dramatic productions, cheering on their students and encouraging them outside of the academic arena. Long after others are in bed, they are online, researching new science projects, reading the latest findings on helping students with special needs, or trying to locate a craft idea on Pinterest that won’t cost much but will teach a valuable lesson and stimulate creativity in their students. They have the summer “off,” often spending many hours each week preparing for the coming school year and just as often spending their own money on items they see that will benefit the students when district funding isn’t available.

And they do it because they care, because they are passionate about making a difference, because they embody the truth that teaching goes far beyond the classroom walls. And they deserve our thanks! The old saying is true: “To teach is to touch a life forever.”

Take time today to e-mail, send a card to, or buy a gift for the schoolteacher you chose to thank.