May 7-13

has been designated Teacher Appreciation Week.

It is a

time set aside to appreciate the roles and

responsibilities of America's teachers and to salute them

for all they do for our nation's young people.

I hope that

this kind of appreciation for teachers can go far beyond

a symbolic week established for that purpose. Indeed, I

hope it can transcend into a state of mind that is always

with us, just like the influence of a good teacher.

All of us

can look back and find exemplary teachers in our past who

honestly made a difference in our lives because of their

influence. It was a teacher who made those mysterious

designs called letters turn into meaningful words and

sentences. It was a teacher who took us from simple

counting to trigonometry and calculus.

A teacher

opened up the worlds of the past, present and future with

simple physical tools such as textbooks and chalk by

adding the spiritual qualities of caring and devotion.

As our

tools of the trade have evolved to include computers,

fiber optics and cyberspace, it has always been the

abstract qualities of sincerity, devotion and a love for

teaching and learning and students that have made

teaching the noblest profession of them all.

And come to

think of it, it was a teacher who sparked the

intellectual capacity of those pioneers and inventors who

have brought us the staggering technological advances of

the recent past. Somebody must be doing something right.

In an essay

titled "The Unsung Hero," Earnest Miner

remarks, "Admittedly, teachers have never really

been given their just dues, honor, respect, nor

recognition as other professionals in our society. Be it

known, these unsung heroes have the most difficult job in

the world, and it indeed takes a special breed to hang in

there day after day, month after month, and year after

year."

As the role

of the teacher continues to change, encompassing many

responsibilities formerly handled by home and extended

family, teachers have had to do more, yet somehow be

appreciated less.

As the

superintendent of the Coweta County Schools, I feel it is

my responsibility to publicly acknowledge our teachers

for accepting the ever-growing tasks before them and for

continuing to teach and care for our students.

We are not

perfect; rather, we are human. Yet, may the very act of

being human be our saving grace. Let it allow us to admit

and learn from our mistakes, to adapt in the midst of

change, to remain calm in the midst of chaos and

condemnation, and to never lose sight of our goal: the

advancement of humankind.

All

humankind, the rich and poor and gifted and not gifted

and the average - whatever that may be - are

all deserving of the best we can give them.

I could go

on here to once again mention the several outstanding,

award-winning teachers of whom Coweta County is so proud.

But I also insist on acknowledging all those who are

seldom or never singled out as winners. Every teacher who

changes a student for the better is a winner; and so is

the student. Every teacher who gives a student an

enriching experience, whether in academics or athletics

or the arts, is a winner.

Every

teacher who can take the constantly changing demands of

today's complex society along with its all-to-often

unfounded criticism and keep his or her head held high

and continue to serve students is a winner.

It is our

desire in Coweta County to hire and keep the

best-trained, best-performing teachers possible for our

students. Coweta teachers, you have my respect, my

appreciation and my support. You are the real reason that

Coweta County is a place where good schools are a great

investment.