Teacher of the Year

I am so thankful for the many people that God has brought into my life, but today I just wanted to honor this special lady. You see, she has a special place in my heart as I have covered her with prayer over the last few years. She was my daughter's first grade teacher. She touches so many children's lives or should I say hearts. Recently she was named "Teacher of the Year" at Lakeview Elementary School. She is also a nominee for Wilson County "Teacher of the Year". I wanted to share this letter or recommendation that I wrote with the help of my wonderful mother-in-law, Rosemarie.



Re: Letter of Recommendation for Teacher of the Year for Ms. Suzi Gregory

If asked, “Who was your favorite teacher?” most of us can quickly identify the “one” who truly “made the difference,” e.g., the teacher who inspired you, made learning fun, and believed in you, sometimes even when you didn’t believe in yourself. Suzi Gregory is, without a doubt, an educator who will be identified as “favorite teacher” by all of her current and former students. From a parent’s perspective, she is one of the most outstanding teachers I know. Her wonderful disposition is comprised of compassion and an understanding of individual differences, as well as her love of, and for, teaching and learning. She possesses an innate ability to assess each child’s needs and adequately provide appropriate support services that are, by the way, second to none.

I could elaborate about her innovative teaching methods or how she continually strives to keep abreast of current research and resources; however, I believe that it is more important to tell you how she impacted the life of my child. As one of Ms. Gregory’s girls, my daughter went to school, not only with a smile on her face, but excited and anxious to begin the academic challenges awaiting her arrival. In turn, she came home with that same “happy” smile, each and every day. She absolutely loved everything about Ms. Gregory and the learning environment she created in her classroom. I believe the experience of being with such a dedicated and motivating teacher was an inspiration, as my daughter’s love of school continues to flourish.

Even though Ms. Gregory would send home a schedule of daily activities, I didn’t need to read it to know the events of the day. My little girl would race to her bedroom, be transformed into Ms. Gregory and “act out,” in her pretend classroom, every activity she experienced. Ms. Gregory’s classroom contained a wealth of rich resource materials and each day my daughter became an investigative explorer as she participated in the amazing learning adventures created by her teacher.

Her love of reading, writing, and storytelling were transferred to my child and that love remains with her to this day. Ms. Gregory always encouraged the children to use their imaginations when reading, writing, and during involvement in creative design projects. She has the knowledge, skills and ability to know how much is possible for each young mind because she takes time to get to know each individual child. She sets high expectations and accepts nothing less than meeting, or exceeding, the learning goals and behavior objectives set for each child. Uniquely, she teaches to the whole child, not the whole class.

I pray that all children have a Ms. Gregory during their early years of education, a teacher who not only loves and cares for them as if they were her own, but one who is also a role model of excellence. Beyond that, Ms. Gregory is a teacher of “excellence” and she needs no award to prove that she is the teacher of the year. My words are so inadequate to truly paint you a picture of what a gifted teacher and educator she is. The proof lies in the lives of students that she has impacted over the last 32 years. She not only impacted their lives for a year, but provided them with the tools they needed to become lifelong learners. There are a lot of good teachers, but a great teacher is the one who is as pleased as the student/s when they succeed. Ms. Gregory has shared many gifts that her successful students will never forget. Neither will I.

It is for all of the above reasons, and more, that I highly recommend Ms. Suzie Gregory be given consideration for the honor of being named Teacher of the Year.

Sincerely,


Christy Gold

Family Nights

Yes. We are crazy. These are some photos from one of our family nights. We were playing Nerf Dart Tag. So much fun. I am still laughing about the bullet proof vest fitting Doug like a bib. The first night we played, we only had two small guns. We had to take turns. No fun. So the next night, while Doug and I were on a date night, we headed over to Target and bought ourselves some powerful Nerf Dart Machine Guns, bullet proof vests, and protective eyewear. We planned a surprise attack on the kids. Fun had by all!

Over the past few months, it seems as though our family has been running from one activity to another. Don't get me wrong. School, sports, church, and other extracurricular activities are good things to be involved in, but we, as families, need to make sure we are spending quality time together at home not just in the car on the way to our next activity.

As Tedd Tripp points out:

"The most powerful way to keep your child from being attracted by the offers of camaraderie with the wicked is to make home an attractive place to be. Young people do not run away from homes where there are solid relationships. They do not run from homes in which the family is planning activities and doing exciting things."

Tedd Tripp, Shepherding a Child's Heart

I have found the best way to incorporate the family time is to plan for it. It sounds crazy that we have to plan for this time, but if we don't, we tend to fill our lives with other activities outside the home. There are so many resources available for ideas for family nights. Family nights should be an evening we set aside each week where we eat a special dinner together and do a fun activity.

A Prayer for Parents

I wanted to share a prayer with you that has been dear to my heart over the last few weeks. I actually keep it posted in my planner and I carry it around in my purse, because it seems as though I have to refer to it quite often, especially when I start to feel like a failure as a parent. I don't know about you, but often I beat myself up over how I continually mess up as a parent. Sometimes it seems as though we are swimming upstream when it comes to parenting our kids in today's culture. I am realizing how I need to stay on my knees in prayer and rely on God.

As I was reading Focus on the Family Magazine the other day, I came across this article. It was taken from the "Complete Marriage and Family Home Reference Guide" by Dr. James Dobson.

There's hardly a parent alive who does not have some regrets and painful memories of their failures as a mother or a father. Children are infinitely complex, and we can no more be perfect parents than we can be perfect human beings. The pressures of living are often enormous.

We get tired and irritated; we are influenced by our physical bodies and our emotions, which sometimes prevent us from saying the right things and being the models we should be. We don't always handle our children as unemotionally as we wish we had, and it's common to look back a year or two later and see how wrong we were in the way we approached a problem.

All of us experience these failures! No one does the job perfectly! That's why each of us should get alone with God and say:

Lord, You know my inadequacies. You know my weaknesses, not only in parenting, but also in every area of my life. I did the best I could, but it wasn't good enough. As You broke the fishes and the loaves to feed the 5,000, now take my meager effort and use it to bless my family. Make up for the things I did wrong. Satisfy the needs that I have not satisfied. Wrap Your great arms around my children, and draw them close to You. And be there when they stand at the great crossroads between right and wrong. All I can give is my best, and I've done that. Therefore, I submit to You my children and myself and the job I did as a parent. The outcome now belongs to You.

I know the Father will honor that prayer, even for parents whose job is finished. The Lord does not want you to suffer from guilt over events you can no longer influence. The past is the past. Let it die, never to be resurrected. Give the situation to God, and let Him have it. I think you'll be surprised to learn that you're no longer alone!

"Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Phillipians 3:13-14).