Roosevelt has been our school for 5 years and we’ve got four more to go there. We’ve had incredible, spirit-building, personality-making teachers there - in fact, a handful that have gone so far above and beyond for our children that it makes your heart swell.
Take Ms. Papciak in third grade, who saw that my boy was a hungry reader who learned differently and dropped box after box of books on our porch during the 2020 shutdowns. It was literally the first time since Jack was small that I felt he was truly ‘seen’ as an individual.
Or Mr. Fletcher, who saw my child carrying a pile of his homemade Physics Man comic books and asked to borrow them. Next time he read to the fifth grade class, he read one of the books to them and breathed so much life and character into them they felt professional. Who also entertained us all during the pandemic shutdown with his incredible reading children’s books. The entire family tuned in when they heard Mr. Fletcher was on. Who also entered another child’s homemade book into the school library’s permanent collection, to be checked out by other children.
Or Ms. Tiet, in fifth grade, who put wiggle seats on the chairs of a few kids whose bodies needed to move. Whose report card was so spot on in every single category that I could see how well she not only paid attention to the kids but understood on a deep level where they were performing and what their potential was. Who took time to understand each child’s background so she could adjust her teaching style to all THIRTY of them. Who really thinks about how each child will learn best and is always looking for new ways to inspire their learning. Who blew our minds by telling us at open house that fairness does not always mean equality. Each child may have different accommodations based on their needs. What a concept!
Or Ms. Hunter-Maes, who invited my not-yet-kindergartner to join her Animal Lovers ACE after-school group (which was often only 2-3 kids) to give her some hope and something to belong to during the shut-downs. For an entire year, my little love told anyone who would listen that she was an animal lover, because in a world with no play dates, no childcare, no bubble of her own, no reading skills, and certainly not enough attention from parents in a stressful time, a Roosevelt teacher saw her, spoke to her and gave her something to latch on to. This is the same teacher who, a year or two before, had inspired my son to come home and make his own breakfast - eggs in a window! Not surprising since her own teenage sons are budding chefs.
And of course, there’s Ms. Jorgensen, who cared for my child’s special stuffed animal during winter break, and carried it all the way to Yosemite so she could text us a picture of the two of them at Half Dome. Who can’t walk through the neighborhood without being stopped and and hugged by people of every age from little kid to teenager who have experienced her epic classroom. Who has hugged, supported, wiped the tears and buoyed the confidence of so many. She’s like the local rockstar.
There have been too many others to name, but I wanted to point out these exceptional examples because this is excellence. It’s not necessarily in your fancy labs and classrooms, it doesn’t have to be in your manicured lawns and school ratings. It happens every day when teachers and administrators stand in front of these children and treat them like valued human beings who deserve to be seen as individuals with dreams and feelings and bright futures.
It’s my gratitude to Roosevelt and its amazing community that drove me to sponsor this year’s auction. The auction is a major fundraiser for the school, bringing in 10s of thousands of dollars for programs, supplies and teacher support. Teachers like this, going above and beyond every day, deserve all the support we can offer so they can continue to show that spark days after day doing what can be a rewarding but very difficult job.
If you haven’t yet purchased tickets to this Saturday’s auction, it’s not too late! You can find them here (including child care for the evening!) https://roosevelt.betterworld.org/events/havananights
The Pay-to-Plays will be awesome this year and I'm helping to host two of them myself. Can anyone say cheese board building??
Keep in mind the event is open to entire community, not just Roosevelt families - the more the merrier! Come and support your local school and maybe you’ll run into some of these amazing educators. Super heroes in your midst!
If you’re unable to make it but would still like to participate, some auction items will be available for online bidding! More on that as the info comes in. Hope to see you around, supporting our public schools!
