Great teachers and school leaders are worth their weight in gold, because they provide a real chance at something more.

They don’t provide this service for themselves; instead they work with our community’s children in an effort to create the caretakers that will lead our cities and parishes into, hopefully, years of future prosperity.

It’s a tall order, and those who do it well may be their community’s most valuable assets.

The best teachers and school administrators take advantage of their opportunity to see students on a daily basis by using that precious time to push students to their creative potential.

With the right guidance, they help keep a child on track to becoming a lawyer, firefighter, doctor or writer. Some of these jobs offer tremendous financial benefits; others come with a sense of personal fulfillment that no single paycheck can equal.

I remember the man who pushed me to take what I enjoyed doing as a passion and apply my talents to it in an effort to create a career that could one day support a family.

The late Wiley Hilburn Jr. was my mentor, and when I knew him, he was the chairman of the journalism department at Louisiana Tech University.

No other person outside of my father, mother and wife has been as much of a guiding force to my professional and personal happiness as Mr. Hilburn.

I loved learning from him because, in a way I found uniquely his, he embraced me for my faults and not for any perceived strengths. My trust in him grew, as I was able to tell him about my worst fears and failures in a safe environment — quite the interesting dynamic because I was between 19 and 20 years old and he was in his early 60s.

In more ways than one, I owe my final graduation from college and first post-Louisiana Tech job to his guiding hand.

The best part of Mr. Hilburn is there are about 500 or more students who can make similar claims today.

The River Region is blessed with similar educators, and their contributions deserve celebration.

Hahnville High School Principal Ken Oertling was just named the 2015 Louisiana High School Principal of the Year by the State Department of Education.

When speaking to L’OBSERVATEUR this week about the honor, Oertling called it “unique” and “rewarding,” all while deflecting praise for the accomplishment as a “reflection of everything we do as a community for the students of the parish.”

Angela Davis, a teacher at Garyville-Mt. Airy Math and Science Magnet School, is built of similar stock.

A finalist for 2015 State Teacher of the Year award, Davis is dedicated to her students and her profession, St. John Superintendent Kevin George said.

Davis is a third-grade teacher and already stands as the St. John the Baptist Parish Public School District’s Elementary School Teacher of the Year.

Tara Cox, who taught social studies last school year at East St. John High School, was named the Louisiana National History Day History Teacher of the Year for the Senior Division — an award given to one high school and middle school teacher in each state.

Oertling, Davis, Cox and the region’s other great educators represent something special, because what they deliver can’t be calculated on a spreadsheet.

It’s the hope for something more.

They deserve our yearly support, but today in this moment of recognition, we offer a heartfelt “thank you” for taking the time to bring out the best in our children.

Stephen Hemelt is general manager and editor of L’OBSERVATEUR. He can be reached at 985-652-9545 or stephen.hemelt@lobservateur.com.