Thanksgiving

The UNI Campus has gotten very quiet this week with no students roaming around . . . I think I have only seen three people on this floor in these three days. It is quiet enough that I have accomplished much reading.

As my mind turns to Thanksgiving I sit here in my office reading research about teacher effectiveness it gives me opportunity to reflect on the past year and my contacts with former students. Although I have not outrightly asked them if they felt I was an effective teacher I do from time to time get feedback that warms the heart.

For instance, Megan Meier McDonough, a student from Fredericksburg recently shared a story about her young son, Vaughn, and how she is teaching him about the moon phases. LLL (lit on the left in the last), LOL. And Amber Dilger O'Neill has told me how her involvement with the Envirothon shaped her career choice. Others have shared fond memories of science lessons including monarch tagging, jelly making, and dandelion eating. Although I haven't heard too many stories about my years as a school counselor, I hope also, that I made a contribution in some way to the lives I touched there as well.

I have no data to prove or disprove my effectiveness as a teacher but I do have small testimonials from former students that make me smile. I also have the knowledge that I did get better each year, with more experience, greater time for reflection, increased opportunities for professional development, exposure to students, and an awareness that teaching really does touch the future. Teaching is a profession that touches all others.

The longer I am away from the classroom the more I wish I could have the chance to go back and teach again. My goal is to teach would-be teachers and I think I have positioned myself in places to enrich my life and offer me the opportunity to be good at that. This makes me thankful for mentors along the way: David McCalley while a graduate student; John Verdon while a young teacher in Waverly; John Rothlisberger while teaching in Fredericksburg; Ed Redalen, Nancy Lockett, Karen Garvin, DJ Corson, and Julie Crotty while serving as AEA consultant; Marti Roling and Traci Penning while serving as school counselor; and Janel Lesan, Bruce Frana, Phyllis Anderson and Kelly Jones while at GWAEA. Many of my friends are teachers and people that I call on for advice along the way: Ginny Elliott, Di Sinclair, Kristie Schult, Jean Eells, Vern Fish. And then there is also a teacher that effected my growth and development all along, my grandmother, Aura Snyder.

Gosh, with all the publicity that teaching receives in the news I hope people take the time to recognize from where we have been as we look for direction into the future. Educators are some of the most flexible folks I know . . . it is with this flexibility and optimism for the future that we need to see how to guide the ship into the future for the next generation of learners. We have the capacity and we have the reason, we now need the enlightened vision of leaders both within and outside of education to collaborate.

Happy Thanksgiving . . . and be sure to thank and recognize your teachers (including those students from which we learn) and our mentors.