Thank you!

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week.  A week set aside to thank those teachers who play an important role in our lives, and in some cases, the lives of our children. Just a quick twitter search will show you endless hashtags that fill my teacher heart with joy. (Seriously, check out #teacherappreciationweek and #ThankATeacher to see people expressing their love for the teachers in  their lives.) 

Not one to be left out I thought I'd join in on the #teacherlove. 

First, there was Mrs. Zell.  Mrs. Zell was my fourth grade teacher and the teacher I credit with planting the seed of reading in 4th grade me, nurturing it, and helping it grow.  If it wasn't for Mrs. Zell I might not have fallen in love with books and the adventure they take you on. Mrs. Zell allowed us to turn chapters of our books into plays and perform them in front of the class.  She encouraged us to think like the characters in the story and become them when we performed. She opened her classroom before and after school to give us time, space, and materials to create our grand productions. I knew, without a doubt, that Mrs. Zell cared for me. Not just as a student but she cared for me as a person and I felt cared for.  One vivid memory I have of Mrs. Zell was when we read a play version of The Diary of Anne Frank. Theatrical is one word that I would use to describe her teaching style-blinds would be closed, lights turned out, and twenty-four 9 year olds climb on their desks with books in their laps. As we read Mrs. Zell stopped anytime someone made the slightest noise trying to give us the simplest understanding of what it would be like to live silently in an attic afraid of being heard. The experience really connected with me and I was sucked into reading. I was sucked into reading for life and I thank Mrs. Zell for making me an avid reader and for inspiring me to strive each and every day to turn my students into life long lovers of reading. 

The next teacher that made a huge impact on me was a high school Spanish teacher. She wasn't MY high school Spanish teacher but the advisor of a club I belonged to and would later become president. Mrs. Koren was the teacher I never had but the teacher who had a great impact on the high school version of me. Her focus was on helping those around us. We volunteered at homeless shelters around Christmas to bring presents to those in need. We organized food drives and clothing donations. We visited old folks homes just so they had someone to talk to. Although Mrs. Koren never taught me Spanish, she taught me to be a better person, how to be a leader, and how important it was (and still is) that we take care of each other. 

Both these teachers effected me in different ways and, as one does with people who are important to them, I kept touch with both of these teachers far after the calendar page turned to June and I was forced to move on. I hope that I told these teachers how important they were to me while I was a student in their company (I doubt it). I hope I have showed them, after leaving their classrooms, the impact they have had on me (maybe). I hope that they are aware of the role they played in my life, the impact they have had on me as a student, and adult, and now a teacher and I hope I remember that effect indefinitely (certainly). 

So, over the next 4 days I encourage you to take a moment. Reflect over your education and take a short moment to reach out to a teacher who inspired you. A quick note or a quick hug-both will warm their teacher heart. #ThankATeacher
-Mr. Font