During this week of Teacher Appreciation, my intention is to post, from May 4th through 8th, in honor of Educators everywhere. Today’s post goes to my past, because every teacher knows that it takes a village.
We are not alone in this quest to open the horizons of our students. Many, many souls are responsible for how we get to “our first classroom.”
So, to the ‘educators’ who have formed me…
My teachers:
Mrs. Brinkworth, who looked like Julie Andrews and had a spirit as sweet… there could be no more perfect kindergarten teacher for me.
Mrs. Schreueres, my 3rd grade teacher, in whose class I received my first failing grade. Thank you for not making a big thing about it…
Mr. Fay, who showed me that you can begin to teach 8th graders to be young adults by giving them more responsibility and reminding them that if you act responsibly, others will entrust you with more…
Cindy Zembricki, whose marvelously miniscule red markings on my writing was something I looked forward to because I knew you were REALLY reading my work, saw potential and wanted me to do better… SEE! I‘m writing still!
My mentors:
The Cooperating Teachers that guided me through student teaching and made the trenches a ‘livable’ and incredible growing experience.
Colleen, who took me under your wing my first year and offered me what I was not getting from my supervisor…
Michele, you not only ‘gave’ me your classroom, but you nurtured the soul of my delivery in helping me to see the potential of all children.
My administrators:
Hal, you embraced my approach and trusted this very naïve teacher with some of the most demanding children, to try it my way…
Linda, as a supervisor, you were the first to go beyond an evaluation of ‘great job!’ challenging me to reflect on my practices, some of which were not as great as I would have liked to think!
Andrea, not even really my boss… yet you continue to have influence in my life 29 years later. “If there’s no reason to say no, then the answer is yes!”
Karen, you gave me an opportunity to create my new reality at a time when I was ready to walk away from education forever… I can never say thank you enough…
My Colleagues, too numerous to name… What I learned from you, however is so very important. We all have just so many pieces of the puzzle. We needed each other to make the picture complete. Thank you for supporting my portion, filling in the blanks where I lacked, holding me up when I was beaten up, and celebrating when victories came…
To the support staff…the clerical, maintenance, teacher aides and assistants, food service and bus drivers – who worked their magic everyday so I could work mine.
To MY student teachers, you rocked my boat as I set your sails… together we traveled far…
To my volunteer parents who took time out of their busy days to help in the classroom so that I could be there for the children…
To the parents who could not volunteer, but who made a difference in their diligence to make the best world for their children.
And to all my students… 35 years’ worth and beyond, YOU have probably taught me the most, especially when I wasn’t listening closely enough… I figured it out! And I heard you.
