Amy Newmark's Blog - Posts Tagged "students"

All year long teachers work hard. They create the future, acting as role models and confidants as well as helping studiers learn the curriculum. They have constant pressure to meet quantitative standards, but what about the qualitative achievements, the ones that can't be measured numerically?

Sometimes, teachers need to be reassured that they are indeed making a difference—that they are shaping tomorrow's thinkers and leaders. The 101 stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inspiration for Teachers does just that, providing our beloved teachers with the inspiration and appreciation they deserve every day.

One of my favorite stories is from Anne Cavanaugh Sawan. In elementary school, Anne always brought her lunch and envied the other kids who got to buy lunch. Her first grade teacher, Mrs. Caruso, must have noticed because she offered to buy Anne lunch as a reward for her hard work. “The next day, I proudly carried my tray of chicken fricassee across the cafeteria and took my seat at the hot-lunch table,” Anne shares. “Honestly, the food wasn’t as great as I had imagined, but I was pleased to be there and felt honored to be a part of the group.” One time, Mrs. Caruso gave Anne’s family bags of “extra” clothes, toys, and books. “I don’t know why Mrs. Caruso took a shine to my family. Maybe she also grew up in a family that struggled. Maybe she knew what it was like to feel just a little less than everyone else,” Anne says. “Somehow, even with her quiet charity, she never made me feel ashamed. She just made me feel loved and important.” Years later, Anne still remembers that feeling. “I’ve never lost that feeling—of being important to someone and being protected by her,” Anne writes. “After all these years, I’m still grateful to that wonderful teacher.”

So before schools lets out for the summer make sure to say "Thank You" to that special teacher!