Everyday Heroes: 15 Inspirational Quotes For Educators of Every Kind

Photo by U.S. Department of Education (Flickr)

Last month, I was privileged to attend parent-teacher conferences at my girls' school. I always enjoy these conferences because they allow me to check on my girls' academic performance and thank their teachers. In my opinion, educators truly are everyday heroes! My teachers shaped me in many ways, and I know my daughters' lives are being influenced by their teachers.

In honor of our amazing educators, I compiled this list of 15 inspirational quotes. Whether you're a teacher, school administrator, home educator, or someone who's otherwise involved in education, read these quotes and remember the invaluable role you play in shaping the next generation of children.

1. "Teaching kids to count is fine, but teaching them what counts is best." (Bob Talber)
2. "One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child." (Carl Jung)
3. "They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel." (Carl Buehner)
4. "If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people." (Chinese proverb)
5. "Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace." (Confucius)
6. "The dream begins, most of the time, with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you on to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called truth." (Dan Rather)
7. "A teacher is a compass that activates the magnets of curiosity, knowledge, and wisdom in the pupils." (Ever Garrison)
8. "Education ... is painful, continual, and difficult work to be done in kindness, by watching, by warning ... by praise, but above all by example." (John Ruskin)
9. "I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. It might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit." (John Steinbeck)
10. "The job of an educator is to teach students to see the vitality in themselves." (Joseph Campbell)
11. "The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life." (Plato)
12. "Education is not to teach men facts, theories, or laws; it is not to reform them, or amuse them, or to make them expert technicians in any field. It is to teach them to think, to think straight if possible, but to think always for themselves." (Robert M. Hutchins)
13. "It takes a big heart to help shape little minds." (Unknown)
14. "The mind is not a vessel that needs filling but wood that needs igniting." (Plutarch)
15. "The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires." (William Ward)

If you're an educator or involved in any aspect of education, I hope these inspirational quotes encourage you as you shape children's lives and futures. Thank you for your dedicated service and for being an everyday hero!

Find more about the author: Kim Hart

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