This week and on Sunday, America celebrates two groups of people who work tirelessly for kids - teachers this week and moms on Sunday. In both cases, Teacher Appreciation Week and Mother's Day should be everyday. However, it is really special to see the love coming in from our community for our whole staff this week. The relationships at Norton Creek are what make our school a special place: staff and students, staff and families...it's powerful to see the clear connection between everyone in our Norton Creek community.
Our teachers strive everyday to build a school that works for everyone through displays of their passion and compassion: passion for learning, teaching, and our school and compassion for our students, families, colleagues, and selves. Their daily lessons they teach are designed with such thought and care as they facilitate student learning and growth through engaging activities and discourse. Connections they have with students are on center stage as they demonstrate knowledge of everything about each one of their Eagles from their pets' names to their hobbies outside of school. Norton Creek's hallways and classrooms are full of laughter and smiles thanks to these amazing, dedicated, caring, passionate, compassionate educators. I always say that the kind of person you are is the same as the educator you are, and this school is loaded to the rooftop with incredible people!
This Sunday, we celebrate Mother's Day. I'm sure my life is not much different from yours, and when I think about the amazing moms in my life: my wife, my own mom, and my mother-in-law, I see three remarkable women who are always there for their families and doing LITERALLY all of the things! Moms and mom figures are incredible, but we should never expect any of the superhuman things moms do. We should live in each of those moments, feel the love and warmth, and appreciate them deeply.
If I expect it, I appreciate it less. Instead, we should appreciate each thing - whether it's a ride to practice, breakfast, help on homework, the clothes on our backs, or a warm embrace from our moms. Or from our teacher or any caring adult on staff here: a kind word, encouragement, a challenging assignment or class activity, extra TLC on a task that we're stuck on, or even a moment where we needed to be redirected after making a poor choice. Appreciate all of it. And tell your mom that you do. Tell your teacher that you do. Time flies and life moves fast, so never miss an opportunity to share that love and appreciation from the deepest part of your heart.
Thank you for a fabulous Staff Appreciation Week here at Norton Creek to Dede Collins (and Camden Collins and Jayden Janda!), Whitney Hisel, Clare Keeney and so many other special people in our community who donated to lunches, sent flowers, bright school supplies, kind notes, and so much more. The crew here at Norton Creek appreciates it more than you could ever know!
Have a wonderful weekend! If you are celebrating Mother's Day this weekend, I wish you the best one yet! Go make some memories with your favorite people, Norton Creek!
