Support Lexington's Teachers on World Teachers' Day

World Teachers' Day, celebrated on Oct. 5, is a great opportunity to show teachers in the Lexington Public Schools how great you think they are. But, the day also takes on a deeper meaning, standing for the protection of teachers' rights.

Since its inception in 1994, World Teachers' Day has had a theme every year. The theme for 2012 is “Take a stand for teachers.”

This day was founded by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Its aim is to educate the public about the conditions of being a teacher around the world, focusing specifically on the protection of teachers' rights, and the proper training, development and status raising of teachers.

UNESCO’s partners in this effort are the International Labour Organization, the United Nations Development Programme, Education International and UNICEF.

More than 100 countries currently observe World Teachers' Day, with many corporate supporters such as Google recognizing the global impact and conditions of teachers.

Everyone has an educator who has changed his or her life with their kindness, humor or educational impact.

On World Teachers' Day, we can remember them by looking at issues and obstacles they may face, knowing that the brightest and most motivated teachers need to be continually attracted to a profession whose status continually needs improvement socially and monetarily.

Hey guys, Patrick here.

As your local editor, I typically like to stay out of the story, and try to respect the proverbial Fourth Wall. But in this case, I'm going to break from tradition.

To celebrate World Teachers' Day, I'd like to ask you, our readers, to use the comments section below to give a shout out to your favorite teachers and/or share a memory of a time when a teacher affected your life.

So, to get it started, here's mine:

Favorite teacher has to be Mrs. Claire Lent, who bravely taught my Honors English class senior year at Clinton High. She's tops for always being honest with me and about me, for reminding us that teachers can be respectful of their students while still commanding the respect of their students, and for being creative enough to teach and challenge us through the end of our high school experiences.

The moment would have to go to Desmond McCarthy, a professor of English at Framingham State. It was the time when, toward the second half of the spring semester of my second junior year, Desmond stopped me outside of an Intro to Journalism class and challenged me to think about my future, at Framingham State and beyond, and the role journalism could play in it. Accepting his challenge set me on the road toward internships, the school paper, jobs and so much more.

Now it's your turn.  

TELL US: How will you celebrate World Teachers' Day? Give your favorite teachers a shout out in the comments section below.