I just heard that Teacher Appreciation Day is coming up!

Yay!

Except that I homeschool, so unless I plan something…I don’t get a parade.

Part of me wants a parade, though.  Why wouldn’t I?  I spend 5-6 hours a day teaching multiple grades, I spend inumerous hours planning lessons and researching curriculum.  Other teachers get a whole week of Teacher Appreciation.  I should get something, right?

Nah. And I’ll tell you why.

It is the subject of worship.

“As St. Thomas Aquinas explains, adoration, which is known as latria in classical theology, is the worship and homage that is rightly offered to God alone. It is the manifestation of submission, and acknowledgement of dependence, appropriately shown towards the excellence of an uncreated divine person and to his absolute Lordship. It is the worship of the Creator that God alone deserves. Although we see in English a broader usage of the word “adoration” which may not refer to a form of worship exclusive to God—for example, when a husband says that he “adores his wife”—in general it can be maintained that adoration is the best English denotation for the worship of latria.”

Worship is something that God deserves.  The word “deserves” is the key point here: as the Creator, God sufficiently deserves worship for what He has provided and created for us.  Nature, water, the beauty of the oceans, plants for sustenance, and grace…just to name a few off the top of my head.  Worship is deservedly for God.

“Veneration, known as dulia in classical theology, is the honor and reverence appropriately due to the excellence of a created person. Excellence exhibited by created beings likewise deserves recognition and honor. We see a general example of veneration in events like the awarding of academic awards for excellence in school, or the awarding of olympic medals for excellence in sports. There is nothing contrary to the proper adoration of God when we offer the appropriate honor and recognition that created persons deserve based on achievement in excellence.”

So, is the Teacher Appreciation week a worship or veneration?

I know it seems like I would say worship, because it is the contrary thing to say…but I think that by giving teachers a card once a year to say “thank you” is in the realm of veneration.  I do believe it goes a bit over the line into worship when people start having rallies in the auditorium or devoting an entire week to worshiping teachers.

But all in all, it’s not my company, and I don’t have an auditorium or am part of a Union, so who cares. 😉

I am teaching my kids and they are up to par with their grade level, and they are all happy and we’re doing great!

Go me!

So, Teacher Appreciation Day: Party of Us!