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Teacher Appreciation Week

May 2nd through the 6th, 2022 is Teacher Appreciation Week in the United States. Join us in celebrating and honoring the tireless work that teachers do to nurture and educate the next generation!

It is fair to say that teachers and schooling can be a huge issue in child custody cases. Not only do they have to teach students, teachers are also among the first adults to notice how kids act while not in the presence of their parents. There have been countless times when domestic attorneys looked to report cards and teachers’ notes in a custody trial to prove educational and behavioral metrics. Some teachers have also had the unfortunate experience of having to come to court to testify about these matters.

In my own experience, it only takes one teacher to drastically change the trajectory of a life. As a teenager, I was not always the best student. I bore a strong hatred for homework, especially math and physics. Rote practice was not my strong suit. My memorization was good enough to scratch out average to above average grades in most classes, but it was nothing special. For a time, I didn’t even know if I was going to college.

That’s when I heard some really good things about an honors chemistry teacher, Mr. A. For perhaps the first time since kindergarten in my young educational career, class was fun. Homework was light. Instead, the class focused on experiments—the practical and the useful. Everything else was in preparation for the experiments, which were exciting (and also beyond the typical public school budget for the most part). Obviously, I did well because not only was I having fun, but I was doing the work for a purpose and a working toward a goal.

Needless to say, Mr. A’s effect on how I viewed school and education caused a complete turnaround for me. More science courses, a BS in biology, countless hours in research – even my pivot into law school – can all be attributed to his class. It seems insignificant when looking back that the decision of one teacher to place me in honors chemistry over on-level could make such an impact. And yet, when I look back, it was that decision alone that set the course. I appreciate all that he did to make learning less of a chore and more of a challenge worth pursuing.

I hope that parents will take an active role in their children’s education. Seek out the good teachers and make the world acknowledge and appreciate them. They can give your children the best hope.