A few weeks ago, my wife and I attended parent-teacher conferences for our three younger children. I must admit I had a lot of other things on my mind as the journey started.

While we waited in the first of many lines, I started to do some math.

We have 3 children, in 2 schools, with 5 teachers each, for a total of 15 ten-minute conferences about how our children are progressing in school. Factoring in the time we’d spend waiting in line with other parents, the conclusion I kept reaching was the same: it was going to be a long, long night.

The evening started off at the high school, with our older son's physics teacher. We discuss quiz scores, homework scores and class participation scores. Our son, a junior, really enjoys physics and his grades reflect it. I learn that his teacher teaches each lesson 4 different ways, because there are 4 basic kinds of learners, and he does what he has to do to reach each student. It’s clear that he’s reaching our son. Things start to get interesting when we talk about our son’s choice of a college major. The teacher is steering him away from a mature field of study, and towards a field that will open more opportunities for him. We tell the teacher how grateful we are that our son’s high school physics teacher is challenging him to think hard about his academic future. The teacher also tells us he leads an after-school Robotics Club, which he hopes both our sons will join. He holds the meetings after sports practice and other activities -- so more students can participate. He says it’s important for the kids -- especially the boys -- to get their hands around the learning, to ground what they learn in the classroom.

As we walk away, I think how lucky we are to have this fine man going the extra mile and inspiring his students to take charge of their own learning.

As the evening goes on, I have the same recurring thoughts -- about teachers who, one after another, treat our kids as individuals, who are passionate about the subjects they teach, and who innovate to keep their lessons fresh and relevant to each child. The word educate comes from the Latin for "to lead out of" or "to draw out." Teachers like these really are leaders, guiding our children to the threshold of adulthood, and drawing out the inner potential of each child.

We met with our other son’s American history teacher, an energetic young man who has completely reversed the standard curriculum, so that students grasp critical issues better. We meet with the math teacher who teaches both our sons, and who taught our older daughter. He is tough, and funny, and makes up math problems whose “characters” are his students. The students in his classes bond so well that they hold reunion parties! We met with one son’s English composition teacher. The papers he’s graded always come back full of comments, and show how much care and personal interest he takes in every student.

Before we know it, we’re on our way to our daughter’s middle school, across town. It’s the same middle school I attended, and we talk with some of the teachers I had when I was there.

Our daughter’s math teacher has been great for her -- tough, and disciplined, and always there when our daughter needs help. We meet with her English teacher, who has provided creative outlets for so many kids through extracurricular activities. Four middle school teachers are retiring this year, after 30 to 35 years of service. As I stand in the middle school gym, I think about my days as a student here, I think about my years on the school board, I think about our three older children's years here, and about our youngest child’s final weeks as a student here. My wife, a former public school teacher, says that the best gift a parent can give a teacher is a child who is respectful and ready to learn. In turn, we are so fortunate to have dedicated and caring teachers who have devoted such energy to educating the next generation of Vermonters.

It’s easy to take teachers for granted. In the public forums, we talk about per-pupil spending, standardized-test scores, teachers’ pay and benefits packages, student-teacher ratios, and other ways to measure what we end up with at the end of a school day or school year. Taken one teacher at a time, one individual at a time, I cannot help but think about all the outstanding teachers we have in this state, who educate, challenge and inspire their students.

I want to say to them, “Thank you for the work that you do, in this profession that you have chosen. Thank you for all you have given the children of Vermont.”