Thankful for you!

Happy Thanksgiving

Today, on Thanksgiving, I pause to THANK YOU for your contributions to education. Your positive impact is amazing! I know that it takes constant creativity, courage, resilience, persistence, experience, planning, a sense of humor, and so much more to make a difference in the lives of learners.

I AM GRATEFUL!

I was reminded over and over this month of how grateful I am to be engaged in education at this point in my life. It seems like the roles of teachers and schools are continually shifting; expanding to meet the many needs of children AND our society and at the same time being challenged by outside forces.

I am grateful

I am grateful to have helped in the planning of the conference that over 100 educators attended on a beautiful Saturday: Truth, Hope, and Creativity: How the Arts Can Deepen Any Curriculum at Thomas College. How fortunate we were to be together in person with other educators learning and exchanging ideas. We stretched our thinking around the importance of teaching Truth. The presenters answered questions and created many more, the learning continues beyond the day.

I am grateful to have visited a high school to learn about their Book Arts program taking place, not in the art room, but in social studies, science, and language arts classes. Sadly, it was a just a week after the active shooter hoax locked down 10 Maine schools. It was a horribly scary situation and sadly for some it didn’t last for only that one day. The students have been working on amazing books that demonstrate their learning of The Depression and The New Deal. (Watch for a future blog post with the details.)

I am grateful to be substituting and spending time with learners of all ages. So enjoyable to see students learning and laughing. Each one has a story and many are anxious to share.

I am grateful to live in a region of the state where theatre programs are thriving. There is no greater joy than to see students on stage. They bring their very best and many times surprise themselves by what they are capable of. Acting for an audience provides opportunities that sitting in a classroom can not. The pride, OH MY, the pride!

I am grateful to be on a committee planning the Sestercentennial (250 years) celebration for my community. Looking Back to Look Ahead will give people of all ages the chance to come together to celebrate our town while recognizing those who have come before us.

Giants

I know that I stand on the shoulders of giants and wouldn’t be who I am today without them. I invite you to think about who has influenced you and taught you. Whether those people are alive or passed away perhaps you’ll take the time to thank them on this Thanksgiving Day. I appreciate you your commitment to education and to show my appreciation I’m sending you flowers!

Love What You Do!

Thank you educators around the world

You are loved by your students, their parents and your communities for all the amazing work you do to educate and support learners of all ages in your role as educator!

Teacher Appreciation Week

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU!

It is important to me to take time and say thank you to those who I appreciate the most. When I was in the classroom it was my colleagues who so eagerly collaborated on integrated units. During the year on special occasions I never forget to thank my husband and sons for their kindness. At the Department it is those who continuously go out of their way to assist me.

Recently my mother came to visit from Ohio where she lives with my sister. I have had the opportunity to sit with her and look through her high school scrap books. Luckily she was very organized with every newspaper article, dance card, pressed flower, program, note card, report card, and numerous other items attached ever so neatly in large books. I have spent hours looking through the items with her with hopes of catching a glimpse of her past before I came along. At first I was asking questions about the meaning behind each item. This lead to frustration since she simply no longer holds those memories. Now I just watch as she looks carefully at each item and I listen carefully when she pulls out a piece of the past and shares what she remembers. I am appreciative of those tidbits that I am learning but it certainly makes me pause and think. Sometimes thanking our parents is most difficult.What a gift I am experiencing with her right now.

This leads me to Teacher Appreciation Week and a chance to thank all of you who work continuously to provide opportunities in the arts in classrooms across Maine and for those of you who visit the blog from other states. You are true heroes; giving gifts to students they can easily cherish for the rest of their lives. Not only do you teach students to play an instrument and draw and dance and sing and act but you provide experiences that builds lives. I want to take a moment and THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for all that you do for students!