The Power of Educators
Originally Published May 2020
My kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Patterson, taught me patience (or tried to). My first grade teacher Mrs. Krikpride taught me the value of relationships and experiential learning. Mr. Wright, my elementary school custodian, taught me that my mistakes do not define me. In middle school, Mrs. Evans and Mrs. Matouska taught me that taking time to talk to students about their lives beyond academic learning fuels academic learning. In high school Mr. Shanksy taught me that I have a voice and that I should speak up on behalf of myself and those who can’t speak up. Mrs. Davis, my junior/senior counselor helped me to find education as my pathway, though I didn’t realize until a few years after I graduated and, unfortunately, after she passed away.
As we celebrate Educator Appreciation this week in the United States, I think we all have a greater appreciation for the work that our educators do for our students each day. Whether those educators are teachers in the classroom, secretaries, nurses, custodians, food service workers, or bus drivers, those who have made education their calling make a difference in the lives of so many students each day. Educators see us in ways that no one else does. These are the people who raised their hands and said, “I want to invest in young people. I want to help young people to be all that they can.” They took on an often thankless job in which they sometimes never see the impact of their kind word, patience, innovative strategy, or pat on the back. But they do it anyway.
And so I reflect this week on some of the educators who were standouts in my K-12 experience. I don’t always remember who helped me to understand the -ei makes a long e sound, or the FOIL method, or that Bismark is the capital of North Dakota; but I remember those educators who made me believe in my ability to learn those things and taught me so much about myself and what is really important. We know from the research on mindset that believing we can learn new information and skills, believing that we can have an impact on our future is the difference between thriving and merely surviving.
I want to thank all the educators who daily promote a growth mindset in their students. And I want to thank the many educators in my life who fueled my growth mindset. You are heroes who help each of us to thrive!
