Lifestyle

Thank You, Teachers! #BecauseYouTeach

Memories are funny things. We can’t remember an entire day from our childhood of course (or even last week!) but our brain somehow picks out the bits and pieces that it’s determined are somehow significant and stores them away for years, decades, to pull forward when needed. If you think back to your childhood and your school days, do you have memories that stand out? Does a teacher hold a space, somewhere in the corner of your brain, from your childhood? If given time to think about this, I will bet that you have one of those memories, some way that a teacher impacted you and your brain, to bring forward that memory years later. It’s immeasurable what teachers do, and perhaps our brains somehow know this.

Me, with the fabulous angled hair I saw in a Salt n Pepa video, at 9 years old.

One memory that I have is from third grade. My teacher’s name was Mrs Bousch (name probably misspelled at this point!) who was probably in her 50’s or 60’s at that point (I remember she had white hair), didn’t stand too tall, but was the most gentle and sweet soul any 9 year old girl could ask for.

Reading had quickly become a favorite past time for me, as soon as I mastered it in the first grade, and I was continually yearning to read more books. Unfortunately at our school, there was a rule in our library. It was divided into two sections; the lower level housed tables and chairs, with a long bookshelf below the windows on the outside wall (see how those memories work?) Those books were for students in grades Kindergarten to Grade 3 and mostly consisted of picture books with large print and – I recall – my favorite one among the bunch being Disney’s Cinderella. The upper level (two-steps) contained wall to wall rows and rows of novels. This area was reserved for kids in grades 4-7. I’m not sure why the school had the rules that it did, but I remember walking into that library and yearning for more. I wanted the bigger books, the longer stories, the challenge.

It was Mrs Bousch who recognized the reading ability in me, and who probably saw me slinking around the “big kid” area, who one day walked over to me and asked me if I’d like to try reading the bigger books. I can absolutely remember walking over to the first section, and pulling forward a Judy Blume book. And then, the rest is history! I devoured books, English became and always was my favorite subject, and I won the English award throughout high school for having the highest marks in that subject. And, well, hi. Here I am today. Perhaps I don’t have the accolades of having been a published novelist, but my blog gets me by quite well. 🙂

To celebrate teachers and the amazing, beautiful, and what-seems-ordinary-but-is-not contributions they make to our own lives and that of our children, Microsoft Canada is hosting a wonderful contest that you need to know about! By nominating a special current teacher in your life (perhaps one of your children has a wonderful teacher or you have a family member or friend who is an outstanding teacher that you are in awe of like I do) that teacher could win big for his or her classroom! Plus, each teacher nominated will receive a celebratory note to let them know just how much their hard work in the classroom is remembered well past the end-of-day bell. Check out the awards!

 

Visit https://microsoft.ca/teachers to share your story and tell Microsoft why you are nominating your teacher (you can also upload a video nomination!)

 

 

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  • That is wonderful! Teachers deserve to be honor. They work so hard to teach our children. They have such a big influence in our children life.

  • Always good to recognize those unconditionally hard working teachers who really make you shine in the future. I think it’s meaningful to let them know we value them.

  • This is so great to honour and recognize our favourite teacher, they deserve this, teaching is a hard job and one I would never want to do

  • first of all, what a fabulous contest to honor hard working teachers! i think that is such a wonderful idea. and also that picture of you as a little one is adorbs 🙂

  • Wow! This is amazing. I had many great teachers who encouraged me along the way. It’s why I became a teacher myself.

  • This is a great promotion from Microsoft since teachers have a huge impact on our growing children and many of us can always remember a special teacher that we had when we were younger.

  • A good teacher is unforgettable. My high school English teacher is now a librarian at my local library and whenever I return a book she asks for a book review! Lol!

  • amazing way to honor our teachers and for their amazing dedication and love for teaching our children i have thee utmost love and respect towards our educators thank you helping to shape our kids and make their futures bright

  • I recall having one particular teacher that yelled at me and scared me so badly one day that I wet my snowsuit and jeans. Thank goodness for gym strip. The only bad teacher I can recall, but unfortunately he stands out.

  • Kudos to Microsoft for their contest to recognize teachers, they have a huge influence on the lives of their students. We have several teachers in our family who deserve to be recognized for their dedication and hard work.

  • This is SOOOOO LOVELY! I love when companies do promotions that are all about supporting and recognizing people for the good they do and how they contribute to the world. LOVE.

  • This is SOOOOO LOVELY! I love when companies do promotions that are all about supporting and recognizing people for the good they do and how they contribute to the world. LOVE.

  • Oh gosh – I have a couple of high school teachers I still think of often. I try to avoid thinking of elementary school at all costs lol

  • One of my sons has Asperger’s and can be a bit of a challenge in the classroom. His teacher is wonderful at supporting him in his work and through his occasional disruptive behaviour issues.

  • This is so wonderful to honor teachers that help to guide their students and put them on the right path. They are amazing and do such great jobs. I think this is really nice.

  • Teachers are so amazing. They spend hours a day nurturing and guiding the youth of this world. They truly are people that should be recognied.

  • For me, it was Mrs Huber, who was my 2nd grade music teacher. I was simultaneously terrified and in awe of her. She led an after-school choir that I was desperate to get in to. When I passed my audition it was the start of a lifelong passion for choral singing.

  • I remember a special teacher too. She was lovely. I’m sure I couldn’t spell her name anymore either.

  • Love this! Good teachers are so critical to a child’s development, yet they rarely get the recognition they deserve. This is a great way to honour just a few of the many teachers who impact countless lives daily.

  • I can recall some specific teachers of my own who really influenced me and fostered a love of learning into me! Teachers SHOULD be honored as they play a HUGE role in our lives and our children’s

  • I think teachers aren’t shown enough appreciation and gratitude ! I have awesome memories that some really great teachers are a part of .This is an awesome way to show a teacher they are special

  • I had a few main teachers who really made a strong impact on my life & I will never forget them or the effort they put into me. They are there as mentors, to guide you, & can really have a lasting effect well into the adult years!

  • I had some great teachers in the past but one really stands out . Honoring our teachers is a great idea and I’m sure there are a lot of deserving ones out there.

  • It’s amazing how much of an impact teachers have on all of us. I can still recall kind words and reassurance I received from teachers all these years later. It’s nice to see them being honoured and recognized!

  • These kinds of awards not only show teachers they are valued, they also take away classroom stress. A win-win, for sure.

  • This is so great. Teachers play such a big role in our lives so this contest is pretty awesome to honour and recognize them!

  • I had so many great teachers through school and I remember them all fondly. I like this idea of honouring teachers as they help us to become successful in our future lives due to their teaching and example.

  • Such a great way to say thank you to those special teachers. My daughter had loved all of her teachers so far. Thanks for sharing!