As board members, we often sit and listen to extraordinary presentations about the wondrous things our teachers are doing for our students. We get first-hand information about the hard work and dedication our talented professionals are expanding to benefit the children in their care. Our last meeting was a perfect example.
On that night we heard about a Nordstrom fifth-grade teacher, John Loyd, who was selected from a national pool to be one of 25 educators to attend the 2006 Colonial Williamsburg Teachers Institute in Early American History. The very next agenda item was to recognize three El Toro teachers, Jackie Lee, Alice Packard, and Kirby Woods who had been selected to be mentors (fellows) for their Summer Institute at Foothill College. We then had some students from Central High School who told a story about how their teacher, Mrs. Webb, had spent hours after school tutoring them to pass the High School Exit Exam, even going so far as to cook them breakfast on exam day so that they wouldn’t have to take the test on an empty stomach.
As part of the ongoing updates on school plans, we heard about the hard-working teachers at both El Toro and Jackson School. We were told about the extra certifications and ongoing education the teaching staff engages in to better meet the needs of their pupils.
Both schools showed the extra work teachers put into specific strategies, staff development and data analysis that help them make academic gains for our children.
There also was a wonderful presentation about the Workability program that helps students with special needs find employment or get employment skills and training.
The reason to bring all this up was that the very next day, May 10, had been adopted as “Day of the Teacher.” We read out the resolution and, of course, unanimously approved it. Somehow that doesn’t seem enough. Nor did voting to adopt a resolution to designate May 14-20 as “Classified School Employees Week” seem enough.
Our teachers and classified workers always seem to go the extra mile for our kids. So even though it isn’t anywhere near enough, and can never adequately express our deep appreciation and admiration, we wanted to say thank you. We know you don’t all get to take bows or get public recognition, but you do make a vast positive difference in this world.
Thank you for all you do for our children.
Morgan Hill Unified School District,
School Board of Education
