Teachers

This is teacher appreciation week. I sit here tired to the bone from the whirlwind of gifts I purchased or produced all week long. My little one has three teachers (that's how they roll in pre-k). Each day this week had a theme and we were encouraged to bring a little something on each one. My big girl only has one teacher, but this teacher's birthday also happened to fall this week. I tried to have each gift mean something, come from the heart, be creative and economical. It was quite a challenge. But then I started thinking. Isn't that what these precious teachers do every day? They have to make each day mean something, give from their hearts, be creative and keep within a modest budget. I did it for a week, for four teachers. They do it five days a week, nine months a year and for many, many children. My kid's teachers are quick to write thank you notes and I know immediately the impact my gift had. Teachers sometimes wait for years to find out the impact their gifts had. Sometimes they never know.

My third grade teacher was Mary Ellen Imbo and I loved her with all my heart. She had a cool New York accent and one day she had authentic New York pizza delivered to our class! I learned the importance of MYOB (mind your own business) before acronyms were hip. I'll never forget the story she told us to impress how important speaking positively is (and it was a baseball analogy, of all things!?). She had the cutest Olive Green Sassoon skirt with pockets that she wore a lot and on 'meet the parents night' she looked beautiful in this fancy off-white suit. She was so caring to me when I cried in class the morning I couldn't find my dog.

Someone once said, "A teacher affects eternity, they can never tell where their influence stops". I believe that.