Teacher Appreciation
We have a choice every day to water the flowers or water the weeds.
Since September, my wife and I had planned on being in Chicago last Friday for Grandparents’ Day at our grandchildren’s school. On Saturday we were going to attend our granddaughter Ellie’s First Communion. We didn’t go…neither of these happened. But two things did happen.
First, on Saturday morning, Emily Peters, Ellie’s second grade teacher, knowing that Ellie would be so disappointed for what was not happening on that day, drove to Ellie’s home and dropped off cookies and flowers. And the second thing that happened? Well, when my daughter texted me about what Emily Peters did, I had tears in my eyes.
Thank you, Emily Peters, for watering flowers.
My eldest grandson, Jack, is a senior in high school. About to head off to college, he wrote a tribute to his first teacher…Ms. Sue. Click this link, or below, to hear the tribute.
Thank you, Ms. Sue, for watering flowers.
Click here for a copy of the Tribute to Ms. Sue.
Many years ago, I visited a young man in jail. While sitting with him in the visitor’s room, a commercial for literacy came on the TV. As we watched, a little girl jumped on her father’s lap, gave him a book, and asked him to read her a story. As it became obvious that the father didn’t know how to read, the young man I was visiting remained silent, but began to nod his head up and down. I realized that he didn’t know how to read. As our conversation continued, he shared how this disability had negatively impacted his life and was a factor in his behavior that landed him in jail. When students don’t meet teachers like Emily Peters or Ms. Sue, weeds get watered.
So let’s water some flowers that have watered us. Text, email, or give a call to a teacher who helped you blossom.
Thank you, teachers, from our Top 20 team and some of my favorite teachers: Kevin Brennan, Willow Sweeney, and Tom Cody.
Paul Bernabei
Director
Top 20 Training
651-470-3827
