I have a bumper sticker that reads, "If you love your freedom, thank a teacher." I had it made to order, because I was tired of the traditional bumper stickers honoring people who are only one of the kinds of heroes we have. Hero is much too narrowly defined in our culture. We name bridges and sections of highways and even interchanges for "fallen" (a strange euphemism, it seems to me) police or soldiers. But a teacher? Never. A respected legislator? Maybe, occasionally. There are exceptions to this (MLK in many places/contexts), but they tend only to prove the rule.
I have a bumper sticker that reads, "If you love your freedom, thank a teacher." I had it made to order, because I was tired of the traditional bumper stickers honoring people who are only one of the kinds of heroes we have. Hero is much too narrowly defined in our culture. We name bridges and sections of highways and even interchanges for "fallen" (a strange euphemism, it seems to me) police or soldiers. But a teacher? Never. A respected legislator? Maybe, occasionally. There are exceptions to this (MLK in many places/contexts), but they tend only to prove the rule.