Teacher Appreciation Week Phooey!!

Well I have to say over the years my disdain & resentment for the made up & forced down your throat week long holiday of "Teacher Appreciation Week" is a bunch of CRAP! Most of the teachers I know earn at least $36,000-$42,000.00 per year, have health benefits and get to sit by the pool for over 10 weeks of the year while still collecting a paycheck. They get spring break/summer break, Christmas break, fall break and snow days!! Not counting the budget they are allotted for supplies (I know some teachers who use this for their own personal stuff instead of for the classroom). I understand the importance of a good teacher, one who is invested in our children's lives and works late to make sure you're child is learning. But honestly to date what I've seen in teachers today is a far cry from the teachers I grew up with. Over the years I've worked for the teachers in my kids classrooms so I'm not blind to what they deal with on a day to day basis. Most have a daily teachers aide's or parents willing to make copies and help with parties (at least in my children's schools), parent's are expected to pay a $75.00 supply fee and still buy over $100.00 of supplies at the beginning of the year which consist of a lot of teacher supplies such as dry erase markers etc. I know how hard it is to deal with large groups of children & in most cases it's even harder to deal with the parents but that's what they signed up for when they became a teacher. I also think that they get off really freakin good with being able to become Tenured!! Most jobs don't have that. It's basically like a do what you want & you can't lose your job card!! It's not fair!! I have met many teachers that use this tenure to behave in a manor unbecoming a teacher but they can still get away with it! They should be able to be held accountable as in other jobs!! Each job has it's perks & problems, in mine it's a perk to be able to help someone get a SSA check, the downfalls are hearing clients crying on the phone who have been diagnosed with a fatal disease, they become homeless or they pass away before they receive a check. It's my job, it's what I went to school for and signed up for. I think it's crap to be handed a list and told that I need to have to provide a gift for each teacher (I have 3 kids- each kid has a min of 5 teachers) EACH day for 5 days!! Where do they get off?? As it is most teachers get a gift from students a Christmas (if everyone sent something in that would be (again in my kids classes) over 26 gifts) Let's just say only 1/2 brought something in that would still be 13 gifts from just ONE of their classes!! That's a damn big haul and in my children's case they don't ever receive a gift back from their teacher! I think teaching is an honorable job and acknowledge that it's not the easiest but it should be one of the most rewarding- shaping lives of our future leaders. BUT BUT!!! so is being a police officer, nurse among so many other professions- do they get a week long celebration? NOPE... I think teachers need to start learning to appreciate those who want to show appreciation without it being crammed down our throats... I know I'd appreciate a thank you more if it was given freely. So let me say Bravo to those hard working teachers who give more than the bare minimum and to the others.. learn to feel appreciated when you're cashing your paycheck & sitting by the damn pool!!! I know I would!!