I was pumped this morning when I realized it was Teacher Appreciation Day. Everyone loves a free cup of coffee and a donut. But, my real joy came when a former student walked up and handed me a note. “Thank you for being a teacher,” she wrote. “It can’t be an easy thing to do, with tests and politics pulling the marionette strings. It must feel pretty powerless sometimes.” She is right about the puppet strings, but not wholly right about the powerlessness. I have learned to cut some of those strings meant to control my every move in the classroom. All good teachers have, but we could use more help. Think back to a teacher who influenced you in a meaningful way, and I suspect you will remember character more than content, how you felt more than what you learned. I am not saying content and skills are pointless, just that they are not the main point. Most of what my former student wrote about in her note was about m...