This post actually appears today, May 31, 2014, as a Letter to the Editor in the Corsicana Daily Sun Newspaper. It means a lot to me so I wanted to share it with my blog friends. I wrote….
I am retiring from teaching at the end of this school year and I would like to take a moment to say “Thank You” to everyone who has had a part in this journey. My 27 years in field of education have been an adventure for which I will always be thankful.
Education has changed a great deal since I began my career in the early 80’s. Many changes have improved the educational system and a few, of course, have not. However, we still have students with a strong desire to learn and educators with a heartfelt calling to teach. We still have parents who place a high value on the education of their children and who are caring, compassionate, supportive, and involved. We still have educators who love children with all their heart and students who adore their teachers. We still have “Aha” moments and those special times when circumstances just create learning naturally. We still try to plan creative ways to make learning fun. We still know that a high degree of knowledge is extremely important in this world. We also know that a strong desire to be a lifelong learner and the tools that it takes to do so are the most valuable gifts we could ever give a student.
I will continue to care deeply for students and education. The task of being the key element in the future of society is a daunting one. As educators, we hold our own future and the future of all those we hold dear in the balance as we prepare to teach every single day. I am so thankful to have had this opportunity.
Before school starts every year, I always walk through my classroom and pray for every single student before they ever even walk into my classroom. I continue to pray for them throughout the year. I have laughed with them, cried with them, worried about them, and as the years have passed, I have watched them graduate, get married, and have children of their own. You know, I still consider myself their teacher, but now I am also their friend. The blessing has been all mine.
That’s so sweet, Little Sister! I am so thankful for your years of service to make our world a better place by helping students excel and desire to do their very best. Love, love, love you!