Veteran journalist Deborah Roberts' new book, Lessons Learned and Cherished: The Teacher Who Changed My Life, is dedicated to educators who made an impact.

“Lessons Learned and Cherished is a love letter to teachers. I didn't know that was what it was going to be,” Roberts told EBONY. “But the more I began to collect these essays, I started to think, as Oprah Winfrey said, we bow to the altar of teachers.”

The book is a collection of essays from Roberts and other media personalities like Oprah and other notable personalities, as well as a few people who are not famous, but had stories to share.“So many talked about how teachers fed their souls, a teacher who did something that made them feel capable, seen and well-regarded. This is a thank you to teachers because they really need it right now, given everything they're going through.”

In an interview on Today, Roberts and her husband Al Roker joked about how his interview for the book was originally conducted by a researcher, but that later, Roberts herself interviewed her husband who shared a story about a primary school teacher.

Roberts added that the timing of the book is important because so many teachers are stressed and leaving the profession.

"They are underpaid," Roberts says, but she adds that while "three-quarters of teachers have a second job, that's not their biggest worry. Their biggest worry is autonomy and being able to do the job. And, respect. They don't feel respected and we need to say thank you and respect them."

In recent years, numerous states have passed laws about how teachers can talk about race, sex, gender, and more--some with penalties that could include fines and jail time. Additionally, hundreds of school boards have been attacked by censorship plans to pull books from school libraries and ban them.

The ACLU has called anti “CRT” laws,  "thinly veiled attempts to silence discussions of race, gender, and sexuality amongst students and educators. These laws suppress free speech and deny people the right to an accurate, complete, and inclusive learning environment."

Lessons Learned and Cherished: The Teacher Who Changed My Life, is available now.