From learning to walk and talk to teaching us manners and respect, our moms are the first teachers we ever have. Mother's Day is a holiday to celebrate all the amazing things moms do for us, and being our teachers is one of the most valuable!

We've discussed before how teaching is a female-dominated field. Mothers have always been teachers to their children. Before formal schooling, women were expected to impart a basic education on their children to prepare them for the real world.

Being a mother and being a teacher are both hard work! And so many of our teachers are both! About half of all teachers have school-aged children at home. This can be rewarding but also difficult as teachers try to balance their kids in their class and the kids in their house. Sometimes their kids are also their students! Being a working mom is already challenging, and being a teacher mom adds lots of complications. "Teacher Mom memes" have become very popular to share especially since the pandemic teachers have had to stay at home with their kids to oversee their distance learning all while teaching their students at the same time!

Beyond the basic, mothers are our lifelong teachers. They teach us patience and kindness. They teach us discipline and determination. Mothers are the example of how to interact with a world that isn't always on your side. They teach us how to adapt to change. They teach us to think ahead and to remember everyone. By paying attention to our moms, we learn how to nurture the people around us.

This year, we invite our Best Brains students to honor their moms by not simply thanking them. We challenge them to identify what they have learned from their moms and put those lessons into practice today and every day. Because every mother wants their child to be their best.