Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/50712
MAKING A DIFFERENCE KIM FRANKLIN, a member of the El Dorado Union High School District Faculty Association, received a letter of thanks from the parent of a special education student taking her health class at Oakridge High School. Kim writes, "This is one of the favorite 'thank yous' that I have received, I think because it was very unexpected. It reminds me that as teachers, particularly in high school, we touch more lives than we realize." (For privacy reasons, we've changed the student's name.) Ms. Franklin, to say the least, I have been so incredibly impressed with what Joe is learning from you, that both myself and his father are in awe. We keep asking our- selves, 'Is this our son?' As you know, Joe has been in special ed since fifth grade. Getting him to learn, succeed and just about 'absorb' anything has been a challenge. In your class, he has exceeded our expectations. Not only does he 'get it,' he appears to be applying this knowledge in his everyday life. He truly loves your class and seems to admire and respect you as a teacher. I hope that shows in class, although Joe is not too good at expressing feelings and emotions. Nevertheless, he has his own subtle style. I don't want to take much more of your time, but I felt that writing this e-mail and acknowledging your superb teaching skills and innate ability to get through to this sometimes difficult generation of kids was long overdue. Furthermore, I wanted you to know the impact you have made on our son, and to also be aware that very few teachers and adults have succeeded in such a task. Credentials and Certificates Bachelors Masters Doctoral * U.S. News & World Report and Forbes Magazine degreeinfo@laverne.edu | laverne.edu College of Education and Organizational Leadership 24 California Educator / December 2011 • January 2012 * T h EAn T Ck yo E a Hu R