The unknown heroes

This archived article was written by: Austin Palmer

Throughout our lives we are constantly bombarded with useless information about movie stars and professional athletes. It seems that since the information is so readily available that we all must enjoy and look forward to finding out who Jennifer Lopez is having sex with or how much weight Oprah has lost or gained. How pathetic is a society whose major concern seems to be with individuals who will never have a lasting affect on humanity? Of course it may be interesting to read but why don’t we demand information on worthwhile topics and individuals. Those who make the greatest contributions to society, like teachers, are rarely glorified or honored for what they do.
Where would any of us be if not for highly dedicated teachers? We can look back on our lives and think of someone who has had a profound affect and who has made a difference. How many of us can honestly think of some professional athlete or movie star who has affected a major change in our lives?
It seems a little ironic that those who are in charge of raising up the new generation of world leaders are more often than not looked down upon and despised by the greater part of the population. When our nation was just beginning to develop and expand, teachers were considered one of the greatest assets and respected for what they did and the contributions they made. There was a general hunger for education and new information. It seems in our modern society we have everything and think that we know everything.
It seems strange that a teacher can spend their time and effort training someone who will become an excellent surgeon, engineer, lawyer or businessman and only make a small fraction of what their student will be making in the future. What kind of a message does that seem to convey? It is no small wonder that there are so many teachers out there who don’t care how well they do their job. They aren’t even rewarded for it!
Everything that is good about us was learned from someone else. Maybe it wasn’t a teacher or professor in a classroom, but a friend or family member. We have the power and duty to teach others. It is our responsibility to make sure that those individuals in society who have the most power to make changes are treated with genuine respect and courtesy.