Teacher appreciation is about being grateful for those who show you the way each day—but it is more than that.  To appreciate something is not merely to be thankful for it.

The English word appreciate comes from the Latin appretiatus, which is a combination of “ad,” which means “to” and “pretium,” which means price—which is the same root that gives us our English word “precious.”  To appreciate something literally means to price it, or to set an appropriate value to it.

Now don’t get any ideas—this is not about putting a price on your teachers head, like a bounty when you don’t get the grade you want!  It is about recognizing their worth; about understanding their value.

But here’s the thing—you will never be able to truly appreciate your teachers, unless you follow where they lead you.  Remember yesterday, when we noted that teaching is to point the way to something good?  Think of your teacher like a treasure map—it isn’t worth much unless you actually follow it to the treasure.

If you do, the good you discover will be precious indeed, though the journey may be hard.  But if you ignore the map and go your own way, or simply put it in your pocket, or throw it away—then you have little chance of coming upon the treasure to which it is pointing you.  The map will become little more than a piece of paper with some pictures and lines on it—and that makes it awfully hard to see its true value.

So, by all means, appreciate your teachers—but only if you’re willing first to follow where they’re leading you.  That’s the price of appreciation.

Have a wonderful day.