Another school year has come and gone, and summer is upon us. As the saying goes, time flies! I’m very thankful that my family and I survived this past school year unscathed. We had drama and a few bumps along the way, but the things we learned from those situations made us stronger and wiser, and hopefully will prepare us for the things to come when my daughter Aria starts kindergarten and my son Nicolas enters second grade. However, as my kids stand here today with more confidence in their abilities to learn and perform, it is without a doubt that their teachers were a huge contributing factor in their development. I am very thankful for their love, sacrifice and dedication to my children, and to every child that was under their instruction and guidance. The thoughts and feelings of appreciation and gratitude are expressed in the following poem I wrote:

We love our teachers, yes we do They are awesome and that is true The lives they change, showing the way For our little ones to be outstanding one day We as parents know the heavy weight Of guiding children in the narrow and straight We willingly accept the help of loving teachers Whose firm strong hands can support young curious fingers With those firm hands they open doors For hungry minds and eyes to explore Teaching isn’t confined to only books and papers Or test scores and complicated numbers Rather, instilling a love for learning, a passion to succeed Building confidence is what children need Teachers can stoke the flame and inspire young lives To aim for the stars, to hope and strive Teachers are awesome and they are great That is why we should celebrate!

I am thankful to Mrs. T, Ms. S and Ms. G for loving on my kids and teaching them the tools to be a life long learner and to strive for what is good and noble. May Aria and Nicolas reflect the qualities you have instilled in their lives.