One day a week, the possibility of sleeping in until 6 looms. It’s so lovely. On Friday nights I snuggle into bed with the knowledge that I can just loaf in the mornings. Well, no. But I can be dragged out of bed by a child, go downstairs, sit on the couch, and hope that nobody wants to play with me so that I can read my book in peace.

Another special thing about weekends? Good snacking options! While I’ve always been a big fan of peanut butter blossom cookies, I’m not as into how they need to be made with shortening to prevent spreading. I don’t like shortening much. So instead, I put them into cookie cups, and that works just fine!

Bear with me for a few minutes as I talk about teaching. Ready? It’s a heavy topic for the almost weekend, but I need to express myself.

Years ago, a mentor told me that if I went into teaching expecting appreciation, then I was barking up the wrong tree. Instead, she told me, I would have to find satisfaction in my work from within. That intrinsic motivation would have to drive me.

The thing with teaching is that when people are feeling appreciative, they don’t necessarily express it. I have taught some lovely students who are thankful, and some parents of students who are as well. For the most part, people appreciate teachers and that’s really nice. The problem is, they’re not as vocal about it, so teachers often wind up hearing only from the people who are dissatisfied.

I’ve been lucky enough in my career that I have been given appreciation on a regular basis, but this week I heard a conversation that stopped me in my tracks. Someone was talking about teaching, and they made the argument that any warm body could stand in a classroom full of highly motivated students and the results would be the same as with a teacher who was putting forth the best possible effort.

Boy, did that rankle. All teachers who are working to help students of any background or skill level are making a difference. We’re not babysitters, caregivers, or place holders. There is an unimaginable skill set to teaching, and it still shocks me sometimes when people (some of whom otherwise seem intelligent and perceptive) just don’t get it.

If you’re a satisfied parent whose child has good teachers, tell them that. Tell them you appreciate them. Well, not right now. It’s the summer, and they don’t want to be bothered now. But you get the idea!

On to less deep topics: cookie cups! Peanut butter blossom cookie cups, to be exact.

The best part about cookie cups is that the mini-muffin tin holds in the cookie dough so that it can’t spread. The result is a thick cookie. And you can just press the Hershey kiss right on into the center, making it quite a blissful experience.

Happy almost weekend, and go hug a teacher. Or buy us chocolate. Or bake us cookies. We need it!