Teacher Appreciation Week

This week is national Teacher Appreciation Week!  WKHS is blessed to have a staff of incredible teachers who are committed to their student's success - not only in the classroom, but also in life.  I can think of so many examples of teachers going the extra mile to help students.  They are often found: spending time before or after school reviewing material with students, cheering on kids at concerts and games, responding to e-mails and text messages on evenings and weekends to clarify questions, developing exciting and engaging learning experiences, writing beautiful recommendation letters, listening to a student who needs to talk after a bad day, and countless other examples that make an impact in ways big and small.

Thinking about all of our awesome teachers also led me to think about the educators I encountered in my life who made a positive impact.  In no way could I thank them all because, quite honestly, I had amazing teachers who made me love learning, but I decided that in honor of teacher appreciation week I would send notes to a few of them.  Ultimately I picked 4 people who I had as teachers in middle school or high school and wrote them each a note that I sent today.  I'm fairly confident that 2 of them will remember who I am since I have seen and talked to them since I graduated from high school.  The other 2 are far less likely to remember me and I am 100% ok with that.  My note wasn't about them remembering me, but rather making sure that they knew that what they taught me, the care that they showed, and the impact they had on my life was long lasting.

It's been a LONG time since I was in high school and I wish I wouldn't have waited so long to tell them how grateful I am for their role in my life.  I hope that this week you will take a moment to simply say thanks to one of the teachers at Kilbourne who has had a positive impact on your life.  You never know - maybe your kind words to them will stay with them for years to come.