That's the thing about a great idea... you can't pretend you didn't think it. You can't will the idea away, knowing if you just didn't think of it, that life would be so much simpler. That's not the way it works. A great idea will gnaw at you... reminders showing up in all the wrong places. It's as though road signs, dreams, passing conversations, and newspapers conspire to wear you down - until finally a concession is made and implementation of that great idea is underway. Phew... isn't creativity exhausting?
But first, a reminder...
10 Events; 10 Winners
1 CHAMPION
4 Days to GO!
*****
Virtual Highlowaha Dinner Party
Friday, August 8, 2008
8:00 p.m.
Eat Chinese food, watch the opening of the Olympic Games
AND
Be home for the unveiling of...
Highlowaha's
NEXT BIG EVENT
*****
Teachers. That's what I can't get off my mind. Back to school is in full swing. And yes, while aisle after aisle is filled with new school supplies (trust me, we'll spend a whole day on this topic alone), it is teachers I am most thinking about. Maybe it's because as grown adults our entire schooling experience can be reduced to a list of about 8 teachers names. For me... Mrs. Mueller, Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Arcidiacono, Mrs. Pincus, Mrs. Knowles, Ms. Jahoda, Mrs. Mitrou, Mr. Urbatis, and Ms. Boniello. High school was much more hit or miss in terms of remembering names.
Maybe it's because my dad was a teacher and emblazoned in my memory is that proud feeling I got whenever I heard a student called him Professor Kamhi. Maybe it's because I have two young boys who haven't even embarked on a single day of their formal schooling yet and I'm wondering... HOPING... that the teachers lucky enough to get to know my boys will realize the incredible amount of lasting impact they can have on a child's life.
Whatever the reason, I am feeling the incredible urge to honor teachers. I hope you will join me.
I'll try to be clear and I'll try to be fast, because I know all of you are busy. I want to start a "Make Your Mark" campaign for teachers. Below is the vision. Feel free to print off the instructions and pass along to colleagues, friends, neighbors, or even your kids!
MAKE YOUR MARK TEACHER CAMPAIGN
It's as easy as 1, 2, 3
- Each of us... avid readers, lurkers, occasional visitor, friend of a reader, second cousin of a lurker spend a few minutes and THINK about a teacher who has positively impacted your life.
- Take 15-20 minutes to WRITE a thoughtful description of how/why the teacher positively impacted you. The more specific the more meaningful. Be sure to include: (1) the teacher's name; (2) the school at which he/she taught; (3) your first name and age.
- (If you would be so kind)... MAIL that excerpt to me with $5.00 (to pay for markers, mailing envelope, postage). My mailing address is Claudia K. Beeny, 4012 Harvestwood Court, Grapevine, Texas, 76051.
- I, in turn, will attach your story to a package of Crayola markers and then mail it to a random teacher somewhere in the country (you will get to help generate the list of recipients). If you already have the name of someone you think should receive one of these packages, include it on a separate piece of paper in the envelope you mail.
My goal is to mail 100 inspiring stories with 100 packages of markers to 100 unsuspecting teachers around the country. Surprise me. Make me go buy more markers!
Envelopes must be received by Friday, August 22
We can do this. It's the right thing. To honor the work of one great teacher, by presenting a piece of his or her legacy in writing, to another teacher is a meaningful way to express our deepest appreciation and admiration for the work they do.
I want to leave you with plenty of time to compose your note, so I'm signing off until tomorrow...
Posts
21 comments:
I LOVE THIS!!! Maybe it's because I'm a teacher at heart, but either way I think this is fantastic. It was only a matter of seconds before I knew exactly who I wanted to write about... I have a special spot in my heart for a certain teacher of mine from grade school. Whenever I'm in an interview and they ask the question, "Can you think of a teacher of yours from the past who had a meaningful impact on you? How did they make that impact?", I always talk about Mrs. Litzler and the impact she made on me even as a 5th grader! I can't wait to send in my excerpt about her!! Rest assured, you'll be getting one from me!
Claudia, God this is actually hard. I am lucky I know one good teacher from my schooling. I know we didnt go to the same elementary school but JHS and HS left me disliking school. Although I wish I could go back now. Nevertheless my kids have had some awesome educators!!!! I will have a letter from each of them with one check. I will have my neice do it to. She can use the writing practice. I think its a great idea!!!
Can we share our inspiring stories on the blog? I'd LOVE some inspiration and heartwarming stories for the day.
Oh, this brings back so many good memories! I was only a mediocre student but I loved going to school. Though I don't have a Mrs. Litzler like cspgrad, I do have fond memories of many teachers... it will be hard to choose just one.
Anonymous... Thanks for asking. Great idea. Yes, if you wish you can share your story with the community. To keep organization simple for me (who ultimately has to make sure stories and $5.00 connect up), please print off your post and include in the envelope with your $5.00. That way I will receive both essential pieces at once.
Thanks.
Okay, a quick run down on Mrs. Litzler for those who are interested... though I will spend more time working on the actual excerpt I submit!
Mrs. Litzler was the type of teacher that is not always liked by most students as she is a stickler to the rules, expects hard work from every student and lets you know when you have not met expectations, and demands that you respect her and other teachers in the school. All of that being said- those are some of the many reasons I respect her the most. She very clearly stated every classroom rule at the beginning of the year and kept her word in enforcing each one for the entire year. Her classwork was demanding and difficult (as a student who did not often struggle at school, I did have my moments of struggle with some material in her class). She demanded respect for herself and other teachers in the building. I remember vividly one of the first rules enforced was the finger over the mouth while walking through hallways. There are pictures in yearbooks of her class doing this...making the "shhh" motion with one finger over their mouths while walking through hallways. Each student understood that this was expected. It was a sign of respect for the hard work of other teachers in the other rooms trying to teach. Some students found it to be childish and unnecessary, but I recognized her ability to set out expectations for respect.
Above all of this- she was also the teacher that every student could love! She was the teacher who put a lesson into action. I particularly remember when we were discussing the evolution of tadpoles into frogs in a Science lesson, she brought in a tank full of tadpoles one day. Each of us got to take a few tadpoles home to watch them evolve over the following weeks. I still vividly remember taking mine home and watching their progress every day, and then once they turned into frogs, taking them to my grandparent's house to put them in their small pond. That to me was reaching outside of the box with her lesson- something she did frequently and I loved about her.
She was also the teacher that had you down on the ground, painting, tracing each other, or doing flash cards. She was a firm believer that the classroom did not mean we always had to be confined to our desks. She took what could be a rigid lesson and turned it into a lesson that involved movement and freedom.
She was also the teacher that really cared. She not only cared when you were in her room as her student, but cared years beyond when you were in her class. In the 8th grade when I was dealing with some personal things, she was sure to track me down in the hallways or at lunch to check in on me...on an almost weekly basis. Even to this day, I will see her in the church parking lot after church and standing around her will be years of students. She still remembers each of our names and is sure to keep tabs on all of us. My mom was just telling me the other day that Mrs. L's oldest daughter is going into high school (my mom works at the local high school), and when she brought some paperwork into the main office, where my mom works, she asked my mom about each of us (she taught both myself and my two brothers). That genuine care for students is not common (or at least not in most of my teachers), but it is one of many characteristics I admire most about her.
Now that I've gone on for FAR too long, let me just say that Mrs. Litzler gets the utmost respect from me because she is the whole package. She's not just the 'cool' teacher who is fun to talk to, she's also the stickler who demands respect, she's the one who cares, she's the one goes outside the box to help you learn, she's the one who makes learning fun, and she's the one who will stay with me for all of time.
That's Mrs. Litzler in a nutshell from me...LOVE HER!
Peanut, I've been out of town for the last two weeks and just picked up my mail. Wow - you have spoiled me! Thank you for the wonderful treats.
Katie... you've outdone yourself. Thanks for setting such a beautiful tone for this project. If that doesn't inspire more stories among our readers (AND THE PEOPLE THEY KNOW) I don't know what will!
Thank you for the investment of time. That's one. Now we just need 99 more (but with a commitment of four from Maureen and family).
It's 1:46 CST. I am hoping, hoping, hoping that the lack of posts today is not a reflection of your enthusiasm for Project Make Your Mark. Maybe it's that you don't have time to post today, because you are so busy composing your story. Or maybe it's that you are all resting up in anticipation of all the excitement coming our way in the next few weeks.
I'm just saying... It's 1:46 and I have no idea where my friends are.
Whenever I think about a teacher who made a difference in my life, I think of Mrs. Ackermann, my eighth grade English teacher. Although as an adult, I don't have distinct memories of her, I have thoughts of her as I think of the memories I created about her as the hormonal, moody teenager I was in 1978. She was inspirational in my creative writing, journaling and thinking beyond myself.
The thing I remember most, and maybe she did this with all of her students, was that she took a personal interest in me and took me under her wing when she encouraged me to be an individual. She actually took me to a local community theatre production, on a date. I eventually performed 6 times with that theatre group. She also trusted me to babysit her two sons.
As an adult with my own children, I sought her out about 10 years ago. Was it to thank her? Since we both had moved away from our home state, I found her through a google search . She wrote me back, and I was thrilled to receive her letter, that familiar distinct teacher writing she had.
I have thought seriously about becoming a teacher 3 times since I've had my own children, but I'm not ready to make that commitment to form children's lives, other than my own two!
When I think about a teacher who inspired me, I think of Mrs. Kathleen Ackermann!
Claudia, I spent most of the morning helping my kids get their stories together, writing my own and arguing with my brother Richie... Im back and you will receive the letters shortly. Im not going to share online right now I have little time. I will try to sign on tonight and tell you about my favorite teacher. Have a great day everyoone!!!!!
It's 4:50 EST and this is my first chance to check HLA today ... trust me, I was feeling very disconnected during the day.
That being said, I wasn't even done reading today's entry and a few teachers began popping into my head.
Dr. B, rest assured. You will be getting a few from me within the next week. Can they be some of the memorable high school teachers - or would you prefer them to be 1-8 grade stories?
I'll share on here once I get my thoughts down on paper.
Might I add - I LOVE THIS IDEA. And, just going out on a limb here - if you are writing a story for Dr. B, and still have contact info for the teacher(s) you are writing about, I encourage you to send a copy of the story to your teachers. Even hand write it out for them! I've heard teachers say on more than one occasion that they really appreciate hearing from past students :)
Julie... thanks for taking interest in Project Make Your Mark. Yes, you can write about absolutely any teacher you've had. Inspiration can come at any age.
So, I've been sitting in training all day and honestly, all I could think about was who I wanted to write another excerpt about- I have thought of two more I'm going to write about! Have I mentioned that I LOVE this?! Maybe when I get back from my last training session of tonight I'll post my excerpts on here! Who wants to get work done when there are things to be written about the BEST teachers?!
I agree with Julie that you should send it to the person as well! I actually wrote Mrs. Litzler a letter when I was graduating from the 8th grade explaining some of those things, but I think now that I've aged a bit and really gained perspective on what I truly learned from her, it would be good to send her another one! It's true...teachers never get tired of hearing from old students!
How about this... if you really love this idea as much as I do, show your support by passing the instructions along to as many people as possible. Call people, send an email, forward today's blog, or use whatever other creative mechanism you can think of.
That would be the greatest show of support!
To my Shell,
I love love love my package!
You got me to a T!
I love the idea of sending the letters to the teachers. Unfortunally I do not have a teacher in mind but working at a high school I know that the teachers I work with would love to get a letter from an old student.
I know that the letter cspgradstudent is sending to her old teacher Mrs. Litzer she will love receiving it.
Claudia..........You are amazing and it is wonderful that you are thinking of teachers instead of just sending kids back to school!! Just yesterday I ran into a teacher friend who was busy at work, already, organizing her binder for her incoming elementary school children...........and she is not yet"on the clock!" Teachers give so much of themselves.......I've been one and I've had many that I have appreciated. My favorite would be Mr. Ward.......or perhaps Mrs. Hill.......hmmmmmmmm, how are Mr. Karam? All wonderful in their own way.......thanks for stirring up memories and helping us to do something with them.
Love the idea Claudia! I will try and get it done...but we are already back in school...tomorrow is first day for kids! Would it be okay to write one about my kids teacher(s) and what their caring and compassion towards my kids meant to me?
Remembering the Scaffolding
Fuxia
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