Photo: https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2022/02/usc-viterbi-k-12-stem-center-spearheads-new-program-to-bring-engineering-education-to-local-schools/
Welcome back to The Sunstone Way.
We’ve all heard stories about hero teachers who have gone beyond the call of duty to make a difference in their communities and in their students’ lives.
There have been so many great movies about inspiring teachers, from “To Sir With Love” to “Dead Poets Society” to the “Freedom Writers,” about Long Beach’s own Erin Gruwell, to name a few.
I’d argue that all teachers are heroes. I admit to being biased – I was a teacher myself for three years!
Sacrifice For Community
One of the most important professional jobs in society – teaching our children – is also one of the poorest paid. There has been some progress in recent years, but the average salary for public school teachers last year was $68,000, 8 percent below the average salary for all workers in the country.
Add the stressful work environment of the modern school, the lack of resources in budget-strapped school districts and the frequent time incursions into private lives, and it is understandable why there were more than 55,000 teacher vacancies in K-12 public schools last year in the USA.
Yet there are thousands of dedicated teachers out there willing to make the sacrifices necessary to make a difference in children’s lives. Some pay for school supplies out of their own pockets. Some coach sports or act as advisors to clubs that engage students. Some work hard to reach that special boy or girl with special problems to help them thrive.
It takes a hero to make those sacrifices.
Perfect Timing
With students and teachers from pre-kindergarten to graduate university programs back in the classroom, now is the perfect time to celebrate World Teachers Day. It is Oct. 5 this year, maybe so teachers can celebrate on a Saturday.
This particular holiday came out of the United Nations, and the organization pushes to recognize teachers from all over the world. According to the website, “It’s an occasion to celebrate the profound impact teachers have on society by equipping students with the skills, knowledge, and values needed for success.”
And it just so happens that National Heroes’ Day in America is on Oct. 8. When the word hero is used, most people think about firefighters, police officers and the military. But I’m betting that each of us has a teacher who has been a hero in our lives, too. I know I do.
So, let’s celebrate World Teacher Heroes Day!
Critical To Our Future
All the teachers I know continue to learn as they go – it’s called continuing education – to keep up with their particular subject or subjects. That grows more important for high school and college teachers, who are sending their students out into the world. Those students need the latest, best information no matter what field they decide to pursue.
That’s important for their success, and it’s critical to our economy’s success. We need the best trained, most inquisitive people to lead our workforce into the future.
Without a highly trained workforce, whether that training comes in vocational classes or higher education, America’s economy would fall behind. Thanks to our many connections with California’s university systems, I’ve been able to see firsthand that the future is bright.
A changing economy needs a workforce with cutting-edge skills. And that takes amazing teachers.
Clean Economy
Education is where the coming Clean Economy began. From elementary school classes on the environment to highly technical clean energy experimentation at universities, our educators are hard at work preparing people to help solve the world’s biggest problems.
Just one quick example. Bill Beverly got a degree in Mechanical Engineering from California State University, Long Beach and went on to work in the electrified automotive industry. He and partner Jakson Alvarez founded Evolectric, a company focused on converting commercial trucks from fossil fuels to electricity.
The pair went through the Long Beach Accelerator, also affiliated with CSULB, and the company is now thriving, pushing the Clean Economy forward.
We have watched their journey, helping where we could. That’s The Sunstone Way.
And remember, always be a Sunstone!
John Keisler
CEO & Managing Partner
Sunstone Management, Inc.
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©Sunstone Management, Inc. 2024