Now that teacher appreciation week has come and gone and I’m wrapping up my first year back in the high school classroom, I have to be honest about what I do as a teacher.

I parent all day. I thought I gave that up when my kids went to school and I went to work. And I guess I did give up day parenting when I had an office job. But as a classroom teacher, I parent. I spend a great deal of time helping the 15/16-year-old boys navigate the world. I hold their hands as they try to think outside of the box.

I push them to do the work and not take short cuts (But sparknotes is so much easier to read Mrs. Finley). I reprimand them for constantly touching, kicking, talking, farting, etc. I reinforce the idea that they need to respect their education and the desire of others to learn.

The majority of my job is not teaching, but guiding them. And often it is like guiding a donkey. They are stubborn and want to take the easy way out as often as possible. I challenge them to do more than the bare minimum. I remind them to tuck in their shirts and to pick up their trash.

I also get to teach them how to revise their thoughts. I teach them that nothing is perfect (or good for that matter) on the first go round. I give them feedback and push them to revise and redo. I teach them that there are no free rides, but that there are opportunities to fix mistakes.

I teach them how to be men and adults. I teach them how to think and share their thoughts. I also teach them English–but that seems to be the least important thing I teach.

Teachers do more than teach. Sometimes teaching is the last thing we do. My job is exhausting and I work 12-14 hour days on average. I sacrifice much of my own outside of school time to ensure that I am ready for my students (who often aren’t prepared). I grade papers, give feedback, and read all that I assign.

Teaching is a thankless job. Very rarely do we see the fruits of our labor. But we do it anyway. We do it because we know that we make a difference even if our students and their parents don’t.

So, thank a teacher. Chances are age has sacrificed more than you came imagine to educate your child beyond the subjects they teach.