Dear Jarman folks,
I just want to thank everyone at Jarman--new, old, young, “seasoned” (you know who you are!), teachers, support staff, building people…the whole lot of you—for doing your jobs every day. My family has benefitted from all of your efforts for years. All four of our children have wonderful memories of their time at Jarman, they have all loved being there, been loved while they were there and, most importantly they were all well-educated there.
To the teachers, I can’t thank you enough for the endless hours of effort that goes into your work…not just for my child, but for all the children. I can’t imagine doing your job every day, and I know some days you can’t either! Please remember that it still remains a very important job. I know that is very hard for some of you who have seen such changes over the last 10-20 years…it is hard for me too. Sadly, schools are now often expected to be not only the child’s teacher, but the child’s disciplinarian, manners coach and moral compass—an impossible task in addition to educating. Please know that there are still a few parents left out here who would prefer to do that work at home and leave the teaching to the schools. And, we truly appreciate you doing just that—teaching our kids.
To all the support staff…you truly make it run like clockwork at Jarman. It’s so nice to go back each year and see the same number of people doing the same work and making the work look easy. I know it’s not. Thank you for not hanging up on me when I call the school! Thank you for letting me hang over that counter and vent, and thank you for at least talking about me later behind my back!!! You guys always put a smile on my face and made me feel lucky to live where I do and know the great people I’ve been fortunate enough to meet at Jarman.
To all my kids teachers and those near and dear to the Biddicks—we have always loved that you love our kids (or faked it well!), putting up with them (and us) and encouraging our family throughout the years. Each and every one of you have played an integral part in my kids successes and helped them to learn how to better handle their failures. The unending patience (and sometimes your ending patience!), smiles, words of wisdom, care, concern and knowledge you shared will continue to be immeasurable in all our lives.
Speaking personally, to all of you I have known and encountered over the last 19 years--I have grown tremendously not only as a person, but especially as a mom because of you. I have become a better mom—truly the most important job I believe--thanks to many of you. I have become a more patient person thanks to many of you. I have learned what to care a lot more about and what to care a little less about, thanks to many of you. I have experienced some of my very best, most memorable life “moments” with you. And you allowed me to share some less-than-stellar moments with you. I have been so incredibly blessed to be a part of the Jarman family for the last 19 years. I will miss it terribly and fully intend on hanging over Carolyn’s desk some next year griping about something stupid my kids have done.
I love you all and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
With sincerest thanks,
Stephanie
(and I’m sure my less-than-wordy family!)
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
There's this Woman I Know
There's this woman I know who is ....
Amazing, wonderful, awesome, fantastic, outstanding, super...??? No, not really. We hear those words all the time. Honestly...do we really pay attention to those superlatives? I think not.
This woman is interesting. She is smart. She is kind. She is hysterical. She has thousands of children. She has no children. She is respected. She is tough. She is tender. She is unique. She is clever. She is sneaky. She is good-hearted. She is wise. She is active. She is tired. She is tenacious. She is unwavering. She is fair. She is a wife. She is a daughter. She is an aunt. She is a boss. She is an employee. She is a leader. She is memorable. This woman is a principal.
Being an elementary school principal is a special job in it's own right. But take an extraordinary person and put them in that job and you have something beyond simply "special". You have kids and parents who feel secure. You have kids and parents who learn. You have ingenious solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems. You have kids who learn to lead by example. You have an advocate insistent on the very best for ALL "her kids". You have kids learning to be ambassadors of good stewardship, honesty, integrity, intellect, kindness. You have parents and kids learning to cooperate in order to achieve goals. You have fun times and fond memories. You have nothing short of a host of angels helping to lift you and your child up to the highest levels of success. And when there are failures, disappointments or struggles, you have a shoulder upon which you and your child may cry. You have an advisor, a coach, a counselor and sometimes a referee.
This woman is the only elementary principal my children have ever known. For some kids she is their principal for all years, for others only part of a single year. But every year, this woman knows every childs name...not by the end of the year...by the beginning of the year. She knows their strengths, she knows their weaknesses. She knows their parents. She knows where they are from. She knows each and every child's "story". She knows your child and she knows mine.
And throughout the last nineteen years, this
woman I know has become an integral, important, meaningful part of our family's story...more importantly, this woman, she is our friend.
Thank you Patti.
Amazing, wonderful, awesome, fantastic, outstanding, super...??? No, not really. We hear those words all the time. Honestly...do we really pay attention to those superlatives? I think not.
This woman is interesting. She is smart. She is kind. She is hysterical. She has thousands of children. She has no children. She is respected. She is tough. She is tender. She is unique. She is clever. She is sneaky. She is good-hearted. She is wise. She is active. She is tired. She is tenacious. She is unwavering. She is fair. She is a wife. She is a daughter. She is an aunt. She is a boss. She is an employee. She is a leader. She is memorable. This woman is a principal.
Being an elementary school principal is a special job in it's own right. But take an extraordinary person and put them in that job and you have something beyond simply "special". You have kids and parents who feel secure. You have kids and parents who learn. You have ingenious solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems. You have kids who learn to lead by example. You have an advocate insistent on the very best for ALL "her kids". You have kids learning to be ambassadors of good stewardship, honesty, integrity, intellect, kindness. You have parents and kids learning to cooperate in order to achieve goals. You have fun times and fond memories. You have nothing short of a host of angels helping to lift you and your child up to the highest levels of success. And when there are failures, disappointments or struggles, you have a shoulder upon which you and your child may cry. You have an advisor, a coach, a counselor and sometimes a referee.
This woman is the only elementary principal my children have ever known. For some kids she is their principal for all years, for others only part of a single year. But every year, this woman knows every childs name...not by the end of the year...by the beginning of the year. She knows their strengths, she knows their weaknesses. She knows their parents. She knows where they are from. She knows each and every child's "story". She knows your child and she knows mine.
And throughout the last nineteen years, this
woman I know has become an integral, important, meaningful part of our family's story...more importantly, this woman, she is our friend.Thank you Patti.
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