Tag Archives: Thank You

Sharing appreciation for their teacher

My wife, Ann, teaches a grade 4/5 class in our community. Yesterday at 4pm, while she was still working from home, a parade of cars started honking their horns. About 20 cars, driven by the parents of her students, slowly drove by with Ann’s students waving and holding signs.

I was given some advanced notice that this was happening and was home to make sure Ann went outside when the horns started. I shared some video live on Twitter:


But the quality of the video was quite poor. Luckily my kids and I captured more video and shared some on Facebook.

This was a wonderful gesture that brought tears to all of our eyes (my kids too). I actually had to tell Ann to pull herself together after they passed by because I knew they were turning around and driving by again. This allowed Ann to really enjoy the moment and thank the families as they drove by, since she was overwhelmingly surprised during the first drive-by.

Remote learning has been really challenging for students and parents, and it has also been challenging for our teachers. This gesture was heartwarming and so special. This was a moment our whole whole family will remember and cherish.

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Thanks to all the teachers out there who are giving their best, and caring for their students, as they face the challenge of teaching from a distance. I’ve seen some wonderful ways that teachers have gone above and beyond to connect with their students at this time, and they deserve to be recognized for doing such an amazing job during these challenging circumstance. Thank you teachers, principals, and support staff!

A different kind of thanks

It’s Thanksgiving holiday Monday in Canada. From Wikipedia:

Thanksgiving Day… began as a day of giving thanks and sacrifice for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year… Although Thanksgiving has historical roots in religious and cultural traditions, it has long been celebrated as a secular holiday as well.

For many, it is a time to pause and be grateful, and to give thanks for the things you truly value and appreciate. And for many it is a time for glutinous eating, stuffing bountiful amounts of food into belt-widening bellies. And most importantly, for many it is a long weekend when people make the effort to congregate with family and friends for a meal and get-together.

For me this morning, I will first give obligatory thanks to my wonderful family and friends, and for the blessings I have to live in a democratic and free country. And thanks for good health, and wellbeing for myself and those I love. These are people and circumstances that I’m truly thankful for.

And now for something completely different:

I give thanks for living in an era of indoor plumbing.

I give thanks for thermal underwear, that keeps my skinny legs warm in the winter.

I give thanks for audiobooks that let me ‘read’ on the treadmill, while walking, and driving.

I give thanks for the invention of chocolate covered almonds.

I give thanks for my coffee maker.

I give thanks for spill-cheek, I mean spell check, without which I would look much dumber.

I give thanks for our hot tub, and for our electric salt and pepper grinders, that are absolute luxuries that no one ‘needs’ but make me happy.

I give thanks for toothbrushes, deodorant, soap, and shampoo. And I’m equally thankful for other people using them!

And finally I give thanks to the readers of my daily journal. Whether you comment, or share, or lurk, knowing that you are there helps me with my creativity and helps me to write better.

Thank you.

Vlad

The gift, a framed metal butterfly. A symbol of transformation. It came to my wife and I at the end of Vlad’s Grade 8 year. My wife, Ann (Kirkhope) Truss, had him in her class for Grades 6 and 7, I had him in my class for Grade 8. As you can see by his letter, Vlad is a very gifted young man. That giftedness comes with challenges in a traditional school model.

It’s not our job to make a kid like this fit the system, it’s our job to make the system work for a kid like this… While still teaching important (life and social) skills that hopefully aid students like Vlad in their future. Because a kid like this isn’t learning content from you, that comes too easy to them. They aren’t going to ask you typical clarifying questions, but they will challenge your knowledge on a topic, they will ask extension questions that go well beyond the learning outcomes, they will get bored waiting for others to learn.

I’ve had a few Thank You’s from students over the years, my wife gets a lot more than I do. For both of us, this Thank You fits into a category all on its own. Enjoy!

Vlad-1.JPG

We get many different versions of Vlad’s in our classrooms. Each one unique, without a recipe for how best to connect and support them. Sometimes, we get it right.

Vlad-2.JPG

* I have a very funny story about Vlad, and another gifted student in the same class, whom I met for coffee with about 3 months after they left grade 8… I’ll save that one for another day. 

The learning doesn’t stop when I hit ‘post’!

Comments make blogging a rich experience.

Comments on four of my recent Pair-a-Dimes blog posts have blown me away!
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again… The learning doesn’t stop when I hit ‘post’! 
Check out the amazing conversations: 

Thank you, thank you and thank you to all who have ‘joined the conversation’… I really appreciate the opportunity to learn from and with you!