I’ve heard it said that the most important thing in comedy is timing. So, in a way, this is really funny. I got an email today at work. It is an open letter [press release] from the U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings. Since it is also published on the Department of Education website (and because it is a PRESS RELEASE, not personal correspondence) I’ll quote a bit of it here:
To Our Nation’s Teachers in Honor of Celebrating Teachers Week
April 30-May 6, 2006It is my privilege to honor this nation’s outstanding and dedicated teachers during Celebrating Teachers Week. We are eternally grateful for our teachers’ efforts to build character, instill knowledge, and make dreams come true.
I’ll rant some other time about whether we really need to set aside special days/weeks/months to celebrate/recognize/thank various segments of our society. What I find interesting about this is the timing. In 1984 the National Parent Teacher Association established the first full week in May as Teacher Appreciation Week and since 1985 the National Education Association has observed the Tuesday of that week as National Teacher Day. The first FULL week in May. NEXT week, not this week.
Since there is no “official” recognition I suppose our Secretary of Education can declare any week she wants as Celebrating Teachers Week. I have to wonder though if this is a deliberate snub of the PTA and NEA, failure by the Secretary or someone on her staff to fully appreciate the concept of a “full week” (or to do minimal research), or just another example of leadership that is out of touch.
In any case, sometime this week or next might be a good time to express appreciation to your teachers or your children’s teachers. Speaking for myself, we don’t do it for praise or recognition but it’s still good to hear. I missed my chance to tell some of my teachers what they meant to me. It’s that timing thing again. It’s important in tragedy too….
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2 Responses to “Half of What I Say is Meaningless”
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Let's do Something Cheap and Superficial 
this is a nice reminder. I shall have to send my son’s teacher a card.
Teachers work hard.
She spends a lot of time with my baby. Thanks for reminding me to thank her.
1. It’s the density of the other half that is so appealling to your readership, if your claim is true (I personally think you are just being self-deprecating again.)
2. Margaret Spellings is not my favorite person. (I just removed a really long rant; not my blog but yours. Dodged that bullet!)
3. So can we expect a free pencil in our school mailbox tomorrow? Or another ten percent off coupon for Sonny’s BBQ?