Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/322788
ISEA Communiqué • isea.org June 2014 3 OPINION once in a great while, a beautiful letter from a former student comes along and it takes your breath away. June 2014 – Vol. 51, No. 7 the ISEA Communiqué (iSSn 0019-0624) is published seven times a year (monthly except July & August; plus combined in october/ november, december/January, and April/ May) by the iowa State education Association, 777 third St., des Moines, iA 50309, 515- 471-8000 or 1-800-445-9358. $3.87 of membership dues is for a year's subscription; for nonmembers, the annual subscription is $10. periodical postage is paid at des Moines and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address corrections to iSeA Membership Records, 777 third St., des Moines, iA 50309. Advertising: to advertise, contact charles lapham at 515-471-8223 or email clapham@isea.org. iSeA makes no representations regarding advertised products or services that are not endorsed by iSeA or neA Member benefits. Duplicate mailings? to stop duplicate mailings to the same household, contact Kimberly hupp at 515-471-8000 or email khupp@isea.org. President: tammy wawro Vice President: Mike beranek Treasurer: tom Mclaughlin NEA Directors: Ray feuss, Joshua brown Executive Director: Mary Jane cobb Editor: Jean Hessburg Visit us on the Web at isea.org Many of us are fortunate enough to receive lovely gifts at the end of the school year from grateful students and parents whose lives we have touched in significant ways. our homes and classrooms are filled with these wonderful offerings of love and affection. i can fill a holiday tree with thank you ornaments and have re-stocked my teacher supplies with fabulous gift cards from supply stores. flower baskets, plaques, and mugs have played a huge role in my career! but once in a great while, a beautiful letter from a former student comes along and it takes your breath away. "it's already been several years since i sat in your math class every day, and i can't believe i'm graduating in four months. i'm sitting here toiling away at college essays and scholarships, repeating over and over what my area of study is going to be. And then i realized that i just wanted to take a second to thank you." high school senior, Katie Karamitros, recently wrote to her 8th grade math teacher. this letter was written to iSeA member tracy bowers, a math teacher at franklin Middle School in cedar Rapids. it was forwarded to me by cedar wood uniServ director, Kim Miller. Ms. bowers has no idea the letter was forwarded to me, and will be as surprised as anyone to see it in my column. "You are the best math teacher i have ever had. i use the concepts that you taught me so well every day of my life," Katie added. wow! You are the best math teacher i've ever had! what a gift. Katie, in the final weeks of her busy senior year, still remembered her 8th grade teacher, and took the time to thank her. So many thoughts come to mind as i read Katie's letter. first, what a remarkable young woman she is. how proud her parents must be. She is clearly thoughtful and considerate, and learned her manners well! which, according to Miss Manners, and to me, will take her far in life! Second, how important it was for her to have such a great connection with a wonderful teacher at such an impressionable age. eigth grade math, especially for a middle school girl, is a pivotal time. empowering young women in the math and sciences is a national focus and Ms. bowers' clearly empowered young Katie. third, we hear far too often about the sensational cases of the select few educators who are not doing a good job. too many times, their stories are splashed across the front pages and that becomes the focus of our collective psyche instead of the stories of excellence. i wonder why we never read the front page stories about all of the Ms. bowers? why don't we hear about those among us who instill in students, like Katie, the idea they are great at math and because they have mastered that subject, it gives them the power to master others? we all have a Katie in our lives. "i thought i'd let you know that i'm going into secondary education in college, and math and science are my specified areas of study. i honestly believe that i can attribute most of my desire to go into anything math- related to the way you taught my 8th grade algebra class," Katie continued. what a tremendous gift for both Katie and Ms. bowers. Katie gave Ms. bowers the supreme gift you can give a teacher -- the act of remembering what he or she taught or did, using the skills or talent, and learning from them. Ms. bowers gave us Katie. She gave us a soon-to-be educator who is clearly passionate, caring, and smart. one who understands that it takes a teacher-student connection to make the light go on. Katie will join our ranks some day, and will be a tremendous addition to our already stellar profession filled with excellence. "i'd like you to know that many of my friends (now Ap calculus or Ap Stat students) continue to speak of your 8th grade math class. i hope that you continue A wonderful gift by Tammy Wawro, ISEA president, twawro@isea.org - 9 - 9 - 9 Untitled-2 1 11/16/09 7:33:41 PM - 9 Continued on page 10