There are truly no words to express the sincere gratitude for all the work that our PTHS staff does for the students and the PTHS community. The continued strength, resolve, patience, flexibility, perseverance, commitment and sacrifice that our teachers show cannot be measured. Day in and day out, in the good times and the tough times, their presence is critical in fostering the growth and success of our future.
While Teacher Appreciation Week allows us the opportunity to publicly thank and celebrate teachers, it should be a regular practice. My mom, a former Business Teacher, was out to lunch last week with about twenty-five of her retired teacher colleagues. They meet every so often to get together and catch up. At one point during their lunch, a man walked up and introduced himself. He said, "I don't know if you remember me but I had many of you as teachers when I was a student at HP many years ago. I want to thank you all for making me the man I am today. My dad worked with you and he told me you were meeting here today so I wanted to drive up to say thank you and it would be an honor to pay for lunch." My mom and her former colleagues were shocked but more importantly, humbled, by the very generous gesture. The former student then sat down and chatted with the teachers for a few minutes before leaving to give them time with each other. They later found out that the man drove two hours to be there.
In the world of social media, we have an opportunity to reach out to our past. I encourage you, in any way that you can, reach out to a former teacher that made a positive different in your life. Whether it is a phone call, text message, social media message or writing a letter, expressing gratitude for what they meant in your life will make a profound impact.
Thank you teachers. Thank you to all past, present and future teachers. Thank you for finding a way to make learning a reality. Thank you for helping students find their way. Thank you for caring. What you do matters.....every day.....all year....and beyond.
Each year during Teacher Appreciation Week, I like to show this clip from "Boy Meets World." It is a group of seniors saying goodbye to their teacher. It reminds us of the impact that teachers play in the lives of our students. ....and the impact that the students have on us as well. #thankyouPTHSteachers
