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.

Looking back at my own life I remain grateful for the teachers I had - for what they taught me, the care that they showed, and the impact they had on my life.  I remember those who gave us challenging assignments that pushed me and still impact how I look at life today.  I remember the teachers who believed in me and helped me to develop the confidence to chase after my dreams.  I'll be honest - I don't remember all of my teachers.  But I suspect that there are other students who fondly remember those teachers who I can barely recall.  I think that is the beauty of education - hopefully every student has at least 1 teacher who they feel believes in and cares about them and a teacher who holds them accountable and pushes them to learn and grow.

As someone who now works in education I can tell you that, at least for me, there are days when I wonder if anything I do or say is making a difference.  And then I am given the gift of encouragement and gratitude - often in the most unexpected of ways - by a student (current or past) or a parent.  Just in the last few weeks I have had so many of these amazing moments of kindness.  Several former students have reached out to ask me to meet for lunch or dinner.  I talked to a former student who is now a coach and I was complimenting him on how much I loved watching him coach even though I can still vividly remember him being the one out on the field like his athletes are today.  And then during our conversation he expressed appreciation for what I did for him back in high school - which, to be honest, was not much - but he knew that he was cared about and that he still knew that today made me so happy.  I received an invitation to go to the wedding of a student who graduated 10 years ago.  I have been given the opportunity to present diplomas to an incredible group of graduating seniors.  A current student thanked me for helping to make a difference in his life, another expressed gratitude for writing a rec letter for him, and still others have given me pictures so that I can proudly hang them in my office.  Parents have sent encouraging messages, delivered sweet treats and the PTO is even doing something for the staff all week.  I share all of this because that encouragement means the world to me and is something I will never forget!  

I suspect that you all have some teacher that has made a difference in your life.  I don't know which Kilbourne (or even elementary or middle school) teachers stand out to you most as being the ones who challenge you to be YOUR best every day, but I hope you will consider taking time this week to say thanks to at least one of the teachers at Kilbourne who has made a positive impact on your life.  You never know - maybe your kind words to them will be exactly the encouragement they needed today and will also stay with them for years to come.