Welcome to our board meeting one and all!

I am very proud to announce that one of very own maintenance employees Rob Russell just completed his B.A. in Public Administration at SDSU. Rob is a BVH grad and he was chosen as the commencement speaker out of the 1700 undergraduates in SDSU’s Class of 2016. Congratulations Rob!

April 26th was School Bus Driver Appreciation Day! I didn’t want to miss an opportunity to say “thanks” to our 86 bus drivers for safely driving our students to and from school and extracurricular activities!

This week we acknowledge two groups of employees in our district: National Nurses Week started last Friday, May 6 and runs through May 12. This week we honor all our nurses for their efforts to meet the needs of our students by improving the delivery of health care in our district each and every day throughout the school year. In fact tonight we will be hearing a presentation from our nurses describing their services.

Our school nurses are professionals who advance the well-being, academic success, and life-long achievements of all students by serving on the front lines and providing a critical safety net; they act as a liaison to the school community, parents, and health providers on behalf of students’ health; and, school nurses are members of our school-based mental health teams. I’m sure we will learn much more of their role in our schools tonight during their presentation. A very special thank you and appreciation goes out to each of our nurses because you understand the link between health and learning and are in a position to make a positive difference for our students every day!

The 2nd group of employees we are recognizing this week are all our teachers! Our Board of Trustees passed a resolution at the last board meeting declaring May 11 as Day of the Teacher! We have close to 2,000 teachers in our district! That’s a lot of teaching and learning going on each day!

• Did you know “Day of the Teacher” arose out of legislation co-sponsored by the California Teachers Association and the Association of Mexican American Educators? Senator Joseph Montoya wrote the bill and it was adopted in 1982.

• What typically happens on Day of the Teacher? Schools and school districts organize activities to show teachers appreciation for the work, passion, and dedication they demonstrate for the students and communities they serve! What do teachers really want for Teacher Appreciation Week? I thought back to when I was a classroom teacher…what made the most impact on me? I also reflected upon the activities I have participated in that seemed to matter to teachers.

• Teachers want to hear how their teaching connects with their students. Teachers want to know they make a difference! Teachers want to know when parents ask their students what they learned in school that day, students respond with something more than “nothing.” Teachers want students to be able to say they can explain they learned what dramatic irony is, or quiz their parents on the definition of pusillanimous (pyoo-suh-lan-uh-muh s), or ask them how the Reconstruction period connects with #blacklivesmatter. I remember as a principal we would ask students to write inside the outlines of an apple what they appreciate about their teacher. That act of appreciation mattered to teachers. So, it matters to teachers that their teaching connects with students!

• Teachers want to have former students contact them. I know I have been able to connect with former students who are now teachers in our district. We have had very heart-warming conversations about what they remember or what they learned in my classes. Those moments make all the paperwork of teaching worth the time and effort. Will you make time this week to contact a former teacher and let them know how much their influence made a difference in your life?

• Teachers want to know they matter. Teachers want to know genuinely that they are appreciated. The majority of teachers pursued this dream because they want to make a difference in the life of a student. Teachers are service-oriented professionals, who, for the most part want to earn enough money to support their family, live in their community, send their own children to college and at the end of the day, know their tired brains and stacks of papers to grade are worth it because they mattered in the life of a student.

• I invite all of us to try at least one of these ideas this week. I guarantee it will be the best present that teacher ever received!

Here are some quotes to end my message tonight:

• “One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.” – Malala Yosafrai

• “One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child.”  – Carl Jung

• “Most of us end up with no more than five or six people who remember us. Teachers have thousands of people who remember them for the rest of their lives.”  – Andy Rooney

• “I think the teaching profession contributes more to the future of our society than any other single profession.” – John Wooden

I have mentioned my 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Marilyn Tecker, in a previous message. Yes, she was a fabulous teacher who taught me all the subject matter I needed to excel and promote to the next grade well prepared. That is important and that does matter.

More importantly, she connected with me as a person. I know Mrs. Tecker cared about me. She focused on getting to know me and then used that information to inspire me to be a better person, to pursue my dream of becoming a teacher; she helped build my confidence and efficacy that I could make the same difference in the lives of future students.

During this week of appreciation for nurses and teachers, I invite you to make and take the time to sincerely show appreciation for these hard-working individuals.

And, finally, to all employees, in these final weeks of school, it is never too late to make connections with students or each other. It is never too late to pause and ask a student or colleague how they are doing, how we can help and support them, or how we can make their day a bit lighter and brighter!

In our few weeks left of the school year, thank you for the opportunity to serve and support all of you!

Thank you for the opportunity to serve and support all of you!

Sincerely,
Karen Janney, Ed.D.