Most teachers still say they love teaching though they wouldn't mind a little more respect for their challenging work and a little less blame for America's educational shortcomings.

I think more and more respect has been accorded to teachers and quite rightly so.

Teachers have the hardest and most important jobs in America. They're building our nation. And we should appreciate them respect them and pay them well.

Give your teachers the respect they deserve because they are the ones who can help you get where you need to go.

We learned about gratitude and humility - that so many people had a hand in our success from the teachers who inspired us to the janitors who kept our school clean... and we were taught to value everyone's contribution and treat everyone with respect.

I truly believe that everything that we do and everyone that we meet is put in our path for a purpose. There are no accidents we're all teachers - if we're willing to pay attention to the lessons we learn trust our positive instincts and not be afraid to take risks or wait for some miracle to come knocking at our door.

The only reason we make good role models is because you guys look up to athletes and we can influence you in positive ways. But the real role models should be your parents and teachers!

I had many teachers that were great positive role models and taught me to be a good person and stand up and be a good man. A lot of the principals they taught me still affect how I act sometimes and it's 30 years later.

Instead of trying to come up and pontificate on what literature is you need to talk with children to teachers and make sure they get poetry in the curriculum early.

Poetry is the language we speak in the most terrifying or ecstatic passages of our lives. But the very word poetry scares people. They think of their grade school teachers reciting 'Hiawatha' and they groan.