Commentary: Teachers are humble angels who serve

I’ve just rediscovered that one of the hardest things in the world is to entice teachers into talking about what they have done for kids in their careers.

First, they never think that it’s a big deal, no matter what they’ve done.

Second, for some crazy reason, they seem to think it’s part of their job.

An eighth-grade boy’s family I knew of was a mess. Dad and the two older brothers had left home a long time ago. Their house burned down when the kid was in high school, and his mother couldn’t take care of him for many reasons.

He was not crazy about school but liked his math teacher. When the teacher and his wife realized what was going on with the kid they decided to take care of him, and he moved in with them.

They then became his parents for this part of his life and guided him through sports, jobs, cars, girlfriends and his start in college. They thought it was no big deal. The student, his wife and children are still part of the family.

A freshman girl thought she might be pregnant. She was scared and young, and knew almost nothing about sex. Her mother had no car and no resources. The girl talked to her favorite teacher who drove her and her mother to counseling that day.

The girl wasn’t pregnant, and without disclosing details, she had done nothing to be pregnant. Sex education was obviously not in the curriculum. Taking the girl to counseling was not in this teacher’s job description but when asked why she had taken her, she said, “She was a good kid who needed help.”

A student in eighth-grade graduation wore a skirt that was too short, and she was told a half hour before graduation that she couldn’t go through the ceremony. Her teacher drove her home to the motel where she lived and waited while she found something to wear, and drove like a maniac back to graduation while the teacher in charge of graduation held her place in line. The student was allowed to graduate.

A teacher I know paid the rent for a student and her mother for months. They were going to be evicted and were going to have to live in their car. This incredibly generous teacher found out and paid their rent until they got back on their feet.

Every day the vice principal of the middle school went to a motel at 6 a.m. to pick a boy up. He did this so the student could shower and dress in the P.E. building early and look decent for school that day.

So many teachers I have known have spent their vacations working for Share Our Selves (SOS) and other organizations. They have adopted families for Christmas. They work in soup kitchens. They tutor kids for nothing, and it turns out, teachers are some of the best people on earth and some of the most humble.

Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and the happiest New Year to all you humble angels.

Former teacher SANDY ASPER lives in Newport Beach.