Friday Reflections

Teacher Appreciation Week - In honor of teachers, I’m using some of the wisdom from Robert Fulgham’s All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten -  From the first day we stepped into school, good teachers taught us how to do the following: Play fair. Be honest. Don’t take things that don’t belong to you. Say you’re sorry when you hurt someone. Hold hands. Stick together. Clean up your mess. Put things back where they belong. Believe that you can do it. Try again. Don’t give up. Stand up for each other. And, of course, thank you for teaching us how to read, write, calculate, reason, debate, persuade, problem solve, analyze, evaluate, etc.  You know that we need these skills to succeed and contribute to a better world for all. And when teachers give our students these strong academic skills and weave them into the above positive people skills, you are forming future citizens who will make this world a better place. Teachers…I lift your work up during this

We kicked off Thumbuddy project this week.   A little background on Thumbuddy.  They were formed 30 years ago by a group of special education teachers and physical therapists who saw a void in the lives of some needy kids. Thumbuddy’s mission is “that all children have the right to live to their maximum ability. We purchase adaptive equipment such as adaptive bikes, wheelchairs, strollers, computers and ramps. We also sponsor Special Recreation programs.” And our own physical therapist Mary Ellen Connelly is the star performer in this non-profit organization.  She has given countless hours of her time and talent to bringing the “extras” that are not paid for by insurance companies or by families without insurance – to provide better quality of life to deserving kids.  I have been in her basement before for several Christmas holidays wrapping presents for our struggling kids.   It is inspiring to witness Mary Ellen’s passion to this cause.  She saw a need, and she continues to step