Thirty years ago on National Teacher Appreciation Day, a young learner gifted me with this precious sign.  Her name was Lydia and she (with the help of her momma) made this treasure with a small scrap of material from Lydia’s favorite shirt…she wanted me “to always have a piece of her as part of each class.”  I still wipe a tear just thinking about this precious memory.  When you turn it over, here’s what you can find written on an index card:

You have the HEART of a great teacher with your JOY (teaching how learning is fun and capturing teachable moments with a smile), your WISDOM (teaching truth, character, and integrity), your KINDNESS (teaching encouragement and how to add value to others), your COMPASSION (teaching how and why we need to reach out to others), your GENEROSITY (teaching and touching lives while always giving), your PATIENCE (teaching ways to find better solutions and never giving up), and your PURPOSE (teaching each child to find the treasures inside).  Thanks for sharing how teaching is a work of HEART this year, and every year.

Through the years, I’ve come to appreciate the fact there is definitely an art and a science to teaching; may we never forget to teach with heart!  Thanks to all the teachers from my past, my present, and my future who continuously plant seeds by teaching with heart!  🙂