There are so many wonderful things that take place in classrooms across the country everyday. Every educator has a treasure trove of stories, many beautiful or touching, a few sad stories, and a few beyond belief. Now and again, it’s nice to laugh about some of these stranger than fiction tales, such as this one from the Education Weekly blog.
When Someone Poops in the Classroom: A Teacher’s Tale
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Shelter from the Storm: Teachers Dried Tears
During the winter storm that paralyzed much of the south this week, a number of students became trapped at school. So educators threw a massive sleep over for students, keeping the young people safe and secure. Will this be on the test?
Click on the link above to read more or find the story here: http://www.today.com/moms/shelter-storm-teachers-entertained-dried-tears-kids-stuck-overnight-school-2D12018114
http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Meet-Oprahs-Favorite-Teacher-Mrs-Duncan-Video
A Visit from My Fourth-Grade Teacher (1989)
One of the defining moments of my life came in fourth grade—the year I was a student in Mrs. Duncan’s class at Wharton Elementary School in Nashville. For the first time, I wasn’t afraid to be smart, and she often stayed after school to work with me. I thought I would one day become a fourth-grade teacher.
Sixteen years ago, my producers surprised me by bringing in Mrs. Duncan as a guest on the show. I hadn’t seen her since grade school, and suddenly, I’m reading the teleprompter: “Welcome, Mary Duncan.”
My eyes filled with tears, and I said, “Mrs. Duncan had a name! Her name is Mary.” As a child, I hadn’t even considered that Mrs. Duncan might have had a life beyond our class. It was in her class that I really came into myself. After all these years, I could say thank you to a woman who had a powerful impact on my early life.
Read more: http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Oprahs-Top-20-Moments/3#ixzz2kWgFUT3m
From NEA Today
Just hours after Superstorm Sandy pummeled his seaside New Jersey town and left it in ruins, Stafford County teacher Michael Dunlea set to work. He reached out to his network of fellow educators and put together a community-wide volunteer force to help with clean up and recovery. Word quickly spread, and soon Dunlea and his team became the go-to source for assistance.
One call came from a woman who said her sister and brother-in-law needed help at their house on Long Beach Island. Dunlea was the first to arrive, and he found the couple holed up inside their home with their windows sealed, portable heater blasting, and blooms of mold spreading along the walls.
“They were emotionally paralyzed. They didn’t know where to begin and they were simply overwhelmed,” says Dunlea, who teachers second-grade at Ocean Acres Elementary School.
The couple — a Vietnam Vet and his wife — rode out the storm at home and thought they’d escaped the brunt of it when Sandy suddenly intensified in the wee hours of the night. In just twenty minutes, the flood waters rose four feet, and they lost everything they owned.
It happened to be Veteran’s Day when Dunlea arrived at the house, and three airmen from nearby McGuire Air Force Base came to help strip the walls down to the studs and remove the toxic mold. “It was the greatest way to thank a veteran,” he says.
Dunlea is an America Achieves Teacher Fellow, a Stafford Township Innovative Teacher Award winner, and a former Ocean County Teacher of the Year. But the residents of his seaside town will probably remember him as the guy who rallied his fellow educators and neighbors to help them recover from the worst storm to hit the area in half a century. It’s more than a month later, and Dunlea and his team of teachers are still at it.
Read more here: http://neatoday.org/2012/12/03/new-jersey-educators-lead-cleanup-after-hurricane-sandy/
START (Stafford Teachers and Residents Together) https://www.facebook.com/staffordteachersandresidentstogether#sthash.OUc8tWPm.dpuf
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In October 2012 Hurricane Sandy slammed into New Jersey. Mr. Michael Dunlea, a second grade teacher in Stafford Township NJ, and the 2011-2012 Ocean County Teacher of the Year, seeing the destruction around him, jumped into action. He tapped into his network of educators and put together a community based relief program that came to be known as START (Stafford Teachers and Residents Together). This program has helped to rebuild Stafford Township, after nearly 90% of the homes were either damaged or destroyed. What Mr. Dunlea has done, and continues to do, speaks volumes about the important work of an educator. He is a shining example for all of his students and an inspiration for his fellow educators.
I wanted to take a minute to tell you about an experience my daughter had this year at your school.
S_____ came to my husband & I in the beginning of the year asking for money to make an “electric guitar.” At first we were like yeah ok, we’ll see.
I started to read about the programs offerings & as I read I couldn’t believe what Mr. Friedman had gone through in order for him to offer this to the students! The more I read the more impressed I became! I thought to myself, “What an amazing opportunity for these students to design, build & keep these guitars!”
These kids come from an age where EVERYTHING is just handed to them, I try my hardest to teach my kids about working for something & seeing the value in ALL things. As well as teaching them to appreciate the things thats are given to them, as they are a privilege & not a requirement.
I felt as though $175.00 was a small price to pay for such big life experience & honestly, I would have paid even more if was asked too. I believe this program shows kids what hard work REALLY is & what goes into the things we buy, by taking them on the journey of the “before” it arrived at the store.
S____ from day 1 has taken one this project with such eagerness & pride. As I write this I could cry thinking of her proud face EVERY NIGHT as she tells me about Mr. Friedman’s class & shows me the pictures of her accomplishments.
This guitar my daughter built from a slab of wood is beautiful, well crafted & fully functional. She is so proud & is asking for lessons. I also think it’s not just a guitar,I believe it’s a symbol of what amazing things she can accomplish in life & whenever she doubts her abilities she will forever have this guitar as proof of what she’s capable of!
My husband & I had the experience of observing his teaching skills during open wood shop, from our point of view he’s a wonderful teacher who is very good at his craft. He seems to have the correct balance with his students which at their age is hard to accomplish; “you give them an inch they take a mile,” but not in his class. He is well liked by his students. He treats them as young adults with minds & opinions of their own that matter to him.
I just wanted to let you know how we were all feeling, because unfortunately in more often times than not people take the time to express their negative feelings, experiences, complaints & a lot of positive experiences go without mention.
Thank you for allowing this program at your school, this experience has changed S____ forever in such a positive way & that means more to me then I could ever put in words.
I believe life is made up of moments & boy oh boy what a moment it is going to be tomorrow when she comes home with her HAND MADE electric guitar!!!
To read more about Mr. Michael Friedman’s work, follow these links:
http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2013/01/hamilton_middle_schoolers_lear.html
http://www.mercerspace.com/features/woodshop-rocks-for-teacher-of-the-year/
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Sometimes, it takes a life-changing event to spur people to action. Dr. Lee Buono, a neurosurgeon from Medford, Burlington County, was encouraged by one of his patients to thank Albert Siedlecki, the teacher who inspired him to become a neurosurgeon. In the 1980s, Mr. Siedlecki taught Dr. Buono how to dissect a frogs brain. Nearly 20 years later, Dr. Buono is saving lives. Watch their story.
May 3-9, 2009 is Teacher Appreciation Week – a great time to celebrate the achievements of New Jerseys teachers. This week and every week NJEA is working to highlight the stories of teachers and educational support professionals who are making a difference in the lives of students. Watch Classroom Close-up, NJ on NJN or online to hear more stories of educators making a difference.
Will This Be On the Test? 