A couple years ago I had the wonderful experience of working as a junior counselor at the camp which I attended as a camper. Not only did I learn life-guarding, CPR and how to lead camper activities, I also learned the "behind the scenes" of the camp.
I am now in a similar situation, student teaching at my former high school. The effortlessness of the teacher having a smooth lesson, of the departments having a uniform grading policy, of the tiny decisions that the students don't even see is completely fake. As a student, I was oblivious to how much teachers did and how busy they were. Every minute of extra time they give to do extra curricular activities, to work with a student one-on-one is a gift. I can't believe how I took it for granted. If I had known how hard teachers worked, I think I would have worked harder.
So I propose: Shadow a teacher day. Every student should have one day of their high school careers where they shadow a teacher, or administrator. Sit with them while they do their prep, help them write a test, go to faculty meetings, see what it is like to juggle your own family and the school family.
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