I am Thankful for My Teacher Linky Party!

As Thanksgiving approaches I begin thinking about how thankful I am for the teachers in my life who have inspired me to be the teacher I am today! I remember my Kindergarten teacher who also became my third grade teacher,  Mrs. DeRose! She saw a passion in me for reading and writing and encouraged me to run with it! She let me come in to work on stories during recess and even helped me to send a story away to a publishing company for kids - I had a real book published by me when I was in third grade, even if it was the only copy! Her dedication to making learning fun and ability to see students talents and use them to help them feel successful is still with me today! I still aspire to be like her!!

Then while I was in college I got the chance to work with many different teachers. I learned from everyone of them in different ways, they were all good teachers, but my mentor teacher for my last internship in general education (I did 5 part time internships and 2 full time) was special! She went above and beyond to make the kids feel special and learning fun. She had ideas that blew me out of the water, and wasn't afraid to share them! I learned to make learning hands on whenever possible in ways I have never thought about before. I learned that even when a kid drives you crazy if you take the extra time to show them you care they will respond to you. I learned that  good teaching doesn't require lots of money spent on the classroom, lots of worksheets copied, lots of fancy things. It just takes a teacher who is dedicated to making whatever they are learning relevant to the kids they teach. She put kids in the "hot seat" by throwing "fireball" candies to kids who could answer review questions, used brain-pop and other videos regularly to introduce new concepts, rode her scooter down the black top in a measurement activity, and assisted me in helping the kids build elbows with toilet paper tubes, rubber bands, and plastic eggs. She sang happy birthday to the kids and didn't mind acting silly even with 6th graders. This year teaching the older kids I really find myself pulling from those experiences, and am so glad that I was fortunate enough to work with Mrs. Quist!!

This is me with her receiving the Presidential Scholar Award just before graduation!

I wanted to give you all a chance to share who has inspired you so I am making this my very first linky party!! Please don't leave me hanging - grab the button, tell me who the great teachers are, and link up!!