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I am a recently retired high school educator who is learning to spend time doing what I want to do. This is a new challenge in its own sense. It's like walking into a buffet and knowing you can eat all you want and not get full or gain any weight and for once you have absolutely no idea what you want. But I look forward to the journey of figuring it out.

Friday, March 17, 2017

Truly Inspiring

St. Patricks Day, I walk into the junior English classroom, and on the board is the statement "what in life makes you feel lucky?" students wrote on the board a reason they feel lucky...I wrote one too..
"What in life makes me feel lucky? My job.
Today in junior English, the students presented "Identity Boxes" as a project for the novel study that the class is beginning, Night by Ellie Wiesel.
Being among the amazing students in our school is just one reason that I love my job. Being with amazing teachers is definitely another.  Amber Neighbor is one of the most sincere, intuitive, and inspirational teachers that I have had the  privilege to interact with and been blessed to be in her classroom.

Her love of teaching, and inspiring learning is tangible each and every day.  Today she had her students present "Identity boxes" as a prelude to reading the novel Night.  Each student shared quotes, memories, belief systems, fears, and memorable personal objects that they identified with as aspects of their personalities.  Because she has created a classroom atmosphere where her students feel safe to share parts of their lives with their peers, the experience was one of the most memorable of my career.

  Students that I work with everyday shared snippets of their lives that gave me great understanding into their families and educational experiences.  Each student as an audience member was silent, listening to their peers, and I could see compassion, understanding, and tolerance being fostered by the sharing of thoughts and memories. I am hard pressed to find another educational experience in my career that was as poignant as today.

Thank you for teachers like Amber Neighbor who make learning relevant and tangible, not only for their students, but also for the others they inspire in their lives.  That is what makes my life lucky, working with professionals like Amber, who make me love my job!

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