Back to school.

Wow!

We blinked and the summer is now gone.

Our kids seem to be excited to be back in school, though, don't they?

There's always something wonderful and good about a fresh start and

a new year. I'm sure most of our students will thrive and grow and

advance in marvelous ways.

But let's remember that it's not only the students who are back

in school. It's also the teachers!

Ah, the teachers.

Champions among us they are! Teachers, principals, administrators and

staff. They're all to be thanked and blessed and lifted up. And even

hugged. If not physically hugged, at least symbolically.

Teaching. It's a calling, you know. Not just a job. Oh, there may

be a few in their number who milk the system and look out for number one.

But those rare exceptions quickly move on from the rigors of education,

I'm sure.

After all, who would want to be a teacher if it weren't for something

deep inside driving and demanding it and blinding the eyes and heart to

the hassles, problems, workloads and responsibilities?

Teaching is defined in the dictionary as the task of "imparting knowledge."

I like that term "imparting." It demands so much more than "presenting."

Show me a teacher who is loved and respected, and I'll show you a

teacher who does not simply present the material, but who works and schemes

and goes every extra mile to impart the desired knowledge to the student.

"Imparting" means that the student "gets it." And

the teacher works and slaves long past when the brightest and best students

have gotten it. The teacher perseveres and re-forms the material over

and over again until even the "slower" students are imparted

with the knowledge!

Champions, I tell you!

We honor you, teachers. We thank God for you. We bless you. We commend

you. We acknowledge your good work. We encourage you to continue your

never-ending quest to impart knowledge.

To all you teachers, principals, administrators and staff we say, "Have

a good year." In fact, "Have a GREAT year!"

Remember the truth spoken by an anonymous author long ago:

A hundred years from now

it will not matter

what my bank account was,

the sort of house I lived in

or the kind of clothes I wore,

but the world may be

much different

because I was important

in the life of a child.

To the rest of us I say, "Have you hugged a teacher today?"

(Kollmeyer is senior pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Fayetteville.)