Comments on: An Ode to a Teacher

By: Kirsten

Kirsten — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 13:34:44 +0000

It doesn’t surprise me at all that Stefanie does things like this. She does more for her family than anyone I have every met as well. She has truly taken after her father who put every person before himself.

By: Ken

Ken — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 22:09:56 +0000

Hold up..do you mean to say…I can have coffee with Julie…

I’ll hit you up on facebook when my employer allows me to untether for a few minutes.

By: Julie

Julie — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 13:46:36 +0000

Stefanie – my pleasure entirely. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that Max will get as lucky as Stella!

By: Stefanie

Stefanie — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 02:59:12 +0000

Thanks seems so inadequate. You’ve reinforced my vocation and brought tears to my eyes. Just like the day Stella left and I knew I couldn’t cry till after the buses were gone. I wish Stella could come back – and I look for the day little brother comes. Truly – thank you.

By: Julie

Julie — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 23:18:29 +0000

Ken – oh, you mean we get lunch breaks? We must do coffee in Kanata even though it will mean leaving the house! The words “refusing to surrender” are so powerful and bang-on from the article you reference.

Ads – Yes, you’re right. I think the two go hand-in-hand.

Kathryn – Blessings come in all forms, don’t they!

Finola – Doesn’t just break your heart when school lets your child down? I hope your daughter gets more ups than downs.

By: Finola

Finola — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 23:11:04 +0000

What a lovely teacher. I loved this story. We have had ups and downs so far in our daughters’ school years, and it’s so true that the teacher makes or breaks the year for a child.

By: Kathryn

Kathryn — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:12:50 +0000

You were so blessed to have been in her class! I had no idea about all she had done while you guys were away…
K

By: Ads

Ads — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:11:09 +0000

Julie that is a wonderful account you’ve written. Thanks so much for sharing. Ms. Young seems like an incredible teacher, but also an incredible person.

By: Ken

Ken — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:37:28 +0000

I was just reading this article at lunch today (God forbid I leave my house):
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/201001/good-teaching

Teach For America has been measuring what makes an effective teacher – see if any of this sounds like your Ms. Young:
“great teachers tended to set big goals for their students. They were also perpetually looking for ways to improve their effectiveness.”…
“Superstar teachers had four other tendencies in common: they avidly recruited students and their families into the process; they maintained focus, ensuring that everything they did contributed to student learning; they planned exhaustively and purposefully—for the next day or the year ahead—by working backward from the desired outcome; and they worked relentlessly, refusing to surrender to the combined menaces of poverty, bureaucracy, and budgetary shortfalls.”