For Kurt Russell, it was Mr. Brunner and Mr. Allen. For Michael Jordan, it was Miss Hardy. For every teacher that inspired these celebrities, another one is inspiring the more than 46 million children in public schools today. On May 9, National Teacher Day will honor teachers, recognizing the lasting contributions they make to our lives. But thanking America's teachers is more than providing them with the proverbial apple.
Real gratitude comes from community and parental involvement within local schools.
Nearly two-thirds of the nation's public school teachers live in and around the schools where they teach, involving themselves in countless extracurricular and civic activities. But turnover rates among new teachers are high and support systems for them are weak. At least 30 percent of new teachers leave the classroom within five years. Teacher salaries increased by 1.9 percent over the decade when adjusted for inflation - much less than salary increases in other professions. Salaries for similarly educated professionals such as accountants, for example, rose 5.6 percent over the same period.