I am so honored to have spent my life and my career working with teachers. This week, Teacher Appreciation Week, is probably a good time to take stock of all the incredible accomplishments that teachers make and contribute to our way of life.

When I was a kid at school, many years ago, I can remember the names of the teachers who significantly changed my life and nudged me in the right direction.  Miss Clark, Ms. Treganzer, and Mr. Spinks.  They all helped me on my journey and gave me a better sense of direction and perspective.  That’s what teachers do.  Doctors mend things when they’re broken.  Teachers nurture and create paths of understanding.  They are our influencers.  They get to watch us mature and grow and graduate and become adults.  They help send us to college and ultimately, they guide and help us form careers that we could not sometimes have even imagined.  They take us on trips to explore new places and open our eyes to different cultures. They plant the seeds that will grow our understanding. They teach us tolerance and open our eyes to different ways of looking at things.  Solving puzzles every single day long after school has finished.  Their passion for their subject, across the spectrum from language to science is part of a shared journey.  As we come out of this pandemic.  As we begin to surface and look back we should all be deeply grateful for our teachers who have adapted to a world of remote learning and who have tried to keep spirits up and student motivation high as we all  navigated these uncharted waters.

We are nearly out of the woods, but one thing is for sure a week is nowhere near long enough to celebrate the accomplishments of teachers.  So, hats off to our incredible band of educators! We have much to be thankful for.  Gracias. Grazie. Merci obrigato. Danka Schoen.

Deeply grateful.  Long may you run.

Peter