Teachers are Heroes

I have admired teachers all my life. Some of my biggest role models have been my teachers. To me they are truly heroes. And what happened in Moore, Oklahoma last week, just reinforces my love, admiration and respect for teachers.

A newspaper article by Jena McGregor of the Washington Post caught my eye the other day. Ms. McGregor summed it up by saying: "Some are calling them heroes. The teachers in Moore, Ok. insist they were just doing their job."

But one thing is for certain: the teachers who risked their own lives to protect the children in their care as a devastating tornado ripped the roofs off their schools were being leaders. In tale after heart-wrenching tale, they exhibited courage in the most terrifying of circumstances, calmed the fears of those around them, and put the needs of the people in their charge before their own. I can't think of a better way to describe a leader.

There are stories of Rhonda Crosswhite and Jennifer Doan, who used their bodies as shields. There's the unnamed teacher who reportedly underneath a car, shielding three students beneath her. And there was Tammy Glasgow, who told her students she loved them, and had them play their musical instruments throughout the storm as loud as they could, maybe in hopes they could drive away the fear of the storm.

Teachers may not hold lofty titles and they certainly don't take home executive-sized pay, but these Oklahoma teachers - especially those in Moore and Sandy Hook, and teachers all around the United States, show their students every day that real leaders are right there in their midst.