“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”  These words were spoken by John F. Kennedy for the Thanksgiving season in 1963. . . sadly, we lost this amazing leader shortly after this speech.

My goal is to ‘live by my feelings of gratitude” in my daily life.  I am grateful for the leaders at our school as they navigate the changes in education.  I also appreciate the talented team of teachers that encourage me in my journey to be the best teacher I can be. And I am grateful for my family and friends who provide the support I need to give this my very best.

And, finally, I am grateful for my students.  As I write ‘thank you notes’ for their end-of-year teacher gifts, I smile at their thoughtfulness in selecting items that show they care; Starbucks gift cards for my daily coffee habit or Barnes & Nobles gift cards because they enjoyed the classroom library.  But, more than anything, I thank them for their contribution to my classroom and sharing their passion for great books and authors that made us better.