Whatever Happened To That Bald Eagle Metaphor?
First of all, I didn’t choose the bald eagle as a symbol for America. Some other blowhard with a quill pen did that. Famously, Ben Franklin thought that the turkey would be a better metaphor. In a letter to his daughter Sarah, in 1784, he explained how he saw the bald eagle as a coward and a thief. He thought the turkey was braver and more honest. So now we have to unpack even more metaphors.
I’m not going to argue that teachers and school staff don’t need appreciation. They are important players in our children’s lives. Highly influential for good and ill. But there are a few problems I come up against with Teacher Appreciation Week. Those problems are time, effort, and even money.