By Tremayne Gibson

A few weeks ago, one of my favorite students asked a question that stung. “Why’d you become a teacher, Mr. Gibson?” they inquired. “Couldn’t you have done something, well, higher?”

This wasn’t the first time I, a Harvard graduate, had been asked a variation of this question. Colleagues, friends, even family have expressed a similar sentiment – that teaching, despite its profound importance, isn’t quite as prestigious as other career paths. Society seemingly associates success only with certain other professions: lawyers who argue landmark cases, doctors who cure diseases, engineers who build the spaceships of tomorrow.

But how does the teacher compare? In America, not well.

Let’s be honest: many of you likely dream of your children becoming doctors, lawyers, and engineers. To find out that they dream of becoming an educator would probably elicit a visible sign of disappointment. Consider also the inherent disrespect buried within the tired, yet popular adage “Those who can’t do, teach.”

Whether we want to admit it or not, most Americans do not truly value education or educators, at least not nearly to the extent of most other professions.

And yet, classrooms are the launch pads for the brilliant and talented people that fill the professions we do admire. Teachers ignite the curiosity that fuels a future scientist’s research, foster the critical thinking that empowers tomorrow’s entrepreneur, and nurture the communication skills essential for any leader. Effective educators do this by drawing from a unique blend of knowledge, skill, and passion. We do far more than simply convey facts.

We are mentors of kids figuring out how to do well those things they are trying for the very first time, we are cheerleaders for the self-conscious and struggling scholars overcoming challenges, and sometimes even confidantes of those in the midst of discovering secrets about their identity that they may not even be able to share with their own family yet.

The true impact that we have can’t be measured by only test scores that record a single moment in time because what we do ripples across decades of development of generations of citizens that we help shape.

For the sake of argument, let’s consider for a moment those other more esteemed professions that our society places so much more value in. On their face, their social prestige is often associated with long hours, high complexity, expertise, and significant impact – far more than what any teacher experiences – supposedly. But let’s unpack those assumptions.

Complexity? Try to wrap your head around our daily routine: managing a classroom of diverse learners, juggling lesson plans for multiple courses, and overseeing after-school activities. This is on top of the countless hours we spend outside the classroom grading papers and attending meetings– rivaling the workweeks of demanding professionals in any field. However, our commitment extends beyond the contract. We never really clock out.

Expertise? Here in New Jersey, teachers are among the most highly educated members of society. We hold not only undergraduate and master’s degrees, but also state certifications in our fields of expertise. Moreover, we are required to complete ongoing annual professional development to stay abreast of the latest developments in our field. Our craft only improves with time, as we master the unteachable arts of classroom diplomacy which requires us to harmoniously manage the interaction between myriad personality types, socioeconomic statuses, religions, and cultures that are a microcosm of our world.

Impact? While we may not cure illnesses, design groundbreaking architecture, or write award-winning novels, the trust you place in us is unparalleled. Every day, you deliver to us your most precious possessions – your children. Every day, we help them discover their potential, the very foundation upon which their future successes will be built.

So, what, I ask you, do other professions have that make them inherently more worthy of admiration than teaching? If we assume that certain members of society are “above” certain professions, what are the implications of such thinking for the people who are a match? Do we as a society think that teaching is best suited for low achievers, for those who have no alternatives? If so, then why are we constantly surprised at underperforming schools? Our expectations from our educators do not match our implicit valuations of their worth.

As we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, sure, the annual treats and kind words are a welcome tradition, but the true measure of society’s appreciation of its educators should lie in its ongoing tangible commitment to its educators.

What truly warms a teacher’s heart is the unexpected thank-you, years later, that speaks volumes about the impact we made.

Last year, at a PTA breakfast, a parent of a former student approached me. We chatted, and then she mentioned a year-end message I’d written to her son’s class. I’d assumed those words were lost in the summer shuffle, yet she remembered them vividly. She told me how much they’d meant to her son, how he’d reread them and even started putting some of my advice into action. That brief conversation, a simple expression of gratitude, cost that parent nothing but a few moments of her time, yet it fueled my spirit for weeks – I had actually made a difference to somebody. No doughnut breakfast can ever replicate that feeling.

The question you must ask yourselves is this: Do I truly respect and appreciate teachers and what they do?

Civic leaders: Are you working with educators to design informed, complementary, and helpful mandates for and measures of student learning?

Administrators: Are you setting your educators up for success by minimizing burdensome administrative duties that detract from instructional planning?

Parents: Are you participating in board meetings to lobby our trustees for policies and funding schemes that support our schools and their staff?

Students: Do you bother to try to develop more than a purely transactional relationship with us? Can you bring yourself to smile and wave at us in the hallways and check-in sometimes just because?

If the answer to these questions is no, well then you have your answer.

Let’s move beyond simply “appreciating” teachers one week a year with fleeting gestures. Let’s create a culture of ongoing support, meaningful appreciation, and investment in our educators. Because when we invest in teachers, we invest in our whole society and, in turn, brighten the potential future of everyone.

Tremayne Gibson is a Jersey City resident, an alumnus of McNair Academic High School in Jersey City and a current member of its faculty.