Can SC's Teachers Be "Faster Than a Speeding Bullet"?

Don't take that headline the wrong way! 

Only Superman can fulfill that role; forget school shooters.

No, one nonprofit believes that casting teachers as heroes will alleviate the teacher shortage plaguing our schools. S.C. Future Minds hopes to lure teachers in the same way as Marines. Some might say that in a few schools teachers need the same skill set as Marines, but that's not what this nonprofit's new marketing campaign is about.

"What if, instead of seeing teachers as overworked, underpaid and unappreciated, we viewed them as heroes, recognized their sacrifices, and rewarded their hard work?"

“'If we think of how we encourage people to go into difficult careers, like the military, people who sign up know it’s not going to be a cakewalk,' [director Caroline Mauldin] said. To . . . push this idea of teachers as heroes, Future Minds started a campaign last year to profile and recognize publicly the teachers of the year from each district."

“'It’s modeled on Humans of New York,' Mauldin said. 'We write a little story about why they became a teacher, what’s the hardest part of the job, and then we share those with the community and on social media. The response has been extraordinary.' Since the beginning of the school year, the #TeacherHero campaign has encouraged students and parents to honor their favorite teacher by describing what makes them a hero. 'It’s a low-cost way to spotlight these teachers,' Mauldin added."

Why do American teachers receive so much less respect than their counterparts in Europe and Asia? That might be a good research project for SC Future Minds.