By Kristi Embry

Teacher Appreciation Week begins Monday. Once upon a time, the teaching profession conjured the image of children offering bespectacled teachers shiny apples as tokens of appreciation and respect. Today, this image has fallen in our collective consciousness, and teachers are now one of the most underappreciated professional groups in the country. Misconceptions abound, ranging from the belief that teaching isn't a "real" job, that teachers are paid too much, and that teachers have a lot of time off during the summer.

These misconceptions seem odd, given the fact that without good, effective teachers, none of us would be where we are today. Indeed, all the benefits we enjoy as the result of being exposed to good quality education we owe to the strong work ethic and care of teachers. Did you know the following facts about teachers?

* According to the National Education Association, the average starting salary of teachers working in Missouri was $30,064.

* In addition to being seriously underpaid, teachers also routinely fight state and local budget cuts. To provide for their students, teachers often dip into their own pockets. Given the meager starting salaries in Missouri identified above, this sacrifice speaks volumes about the dedication of teachers.

* Teaching is hard work. Whoever first said, "Those who can't do, teach," clearly neglected the fact that teaching requires a lot of skill. Teachers must know their subject material and plan lessons. In the classroom each day, they must stand, talk, think and interact with children.

* Teaching doesn't begin and end with the opening and closing bells. In addition to teaching all day, teachers also carve out time to run extracurricular activities, return emails/phone calls, hold parent/teacher conferences. They also routinely sacrifice time spent with their own families during evenings and weekends, grading assignments and preparing lesson plans. And during the summer months, when most of us think teachers aren't working, they are planning curriculum, attending professional development workshops and lesson planning.

Taken together, all of these facts prove the most important thing about teachers: that they genuinely care for their students -- your children -- a lot. Teachers wouldn't continue teaching if they felt their students weren't important or if they didn't both see and want to unlock the potential in each child.

So sometime this week, find a way to show the teachers in your life how much you appreciate their hard work and sacrifices.

Kristi Embry, PhD, Director of Education Initiatives, United Way of SEMO