Sunday was Teacher Appreciation Day at Dodger Stadium. So my family, filled as it is with educators, took in the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Chavez Ravine. But my wife couldn’t make it for Teacher Appreciation Day. Because she’s a teacher. And teachers often work on Sunday. Summer vacation looms, but there is no soft landing when school days remain. This personal irony neatly illustrates the peculiar way we treat teachers.
These people aren’t in it for the summer breaks or museum discounts. But most end up returning to the classroom, so it’s worth asking: What sustains them? What keeps them coming back? I have an idea, and though my sample size is small by research standards, it provides abundant anecdotal evidence. My wife and two of her sisters teach, their mother is a retired teacher, and their late grandfather worked in L.A. Unified back when it was called the Los Angeles City School District.