Teacher Appreciation Week [2021]

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

This morning, I woke up to a tweet from a former student. A shout-out to her teacher, “who introduced me to so many unforgettable books & made me feel seen & as though I had something to offer.” Words that validate my life choices; I’m grateful she took the time to tell me.

Your favorite teacher stays with you

I had one of those teachers, too. Her name was Lenore Kaufman. She was my assistant teacher in 2nd grade, 1973, when I arrived in a new school fresh off my parents’ divorce and seven different homes over the course of the previous year. She was tall, with long dark brown hair that she had a habit of twisting back and tucking inside her sweater. She was my head teacher in 4th and 5th grades.

I remember writing myths with Lenore, and studying the Iroquois, a research project on the abolitionists. I remember her reading aloud to us every day — she loved E.L. Konigsberg — and those books made me a reader. Mostly, I remember how she made me feel safe. It was in Lenore’s class that I decided to become a teacher.

Years later, I was asked to join the Board at the school where Lenore had been my teacher. The bonus? Lenore was also invited. At our first meeting, I told her how much she had meant to me, that I became an educator because of her, and that her classroom was a respite for me in a tumultuous childhood. Less than a year later, she was gone.

#ThankATeacher

This Teacher Appreciation Week, thank a teacher who made a difference to you. Email, Facebook, Twitter, even snail mail! Do it before they’re gone. Trust me, it means the world. And if you’re a teacher, thank you 🙏