Warm and Fuzzy

My boss attended a retirement ceremony for an educator with whom my learning center has worked closely for a long time. She wasn't officially affiliated with us, but she really liked our work and sent a lot of families to us for assessment, then helped them implement our suggestions. The good doctor is sort of a touchy-feely guy, and he wrote us the following email about his experiences at the ceremony. Makes me feel pretty good about the work I do:

Dear Colleagues,

I just wanted to share with you my experience last night attending the reception honoring Laurie Boone Hogen’s retirement from the Resurrection Episcopal Day School (REDS).  First, Laurie publicly acknowledged our work, our influence on her work, and what we have done to help REDS and their families.  We even had reserved seats in the front row at the Church of the Resurrection, which was a wonderful experience and not something that happens to us every day.  By the way, it doesn’t look particularly impressive on the outside, but was magnificent on the inside. 

Over the course of the evening, I was approached by numerous families that we have seen over the years.  The theme was consistent.  They thanked us for helping them recover their hope after it was dashed by their child’s result on the ERB’s.  Next they told me how our profile helped them anticipate and understand what was to come.  One mother in particular told me that when her child’s teacher shares what she is finding out about her abilities, she smiles both because she enjoys hearing it, but also because it confirms what she already knew based on what she learned from us.  Finally, I was approached by the Chair of their Board and the President of the Parent’s Association to make sure that we would still be available to support their staff and families. 

As I reflect on all of the feedback that I received last might, I feel fortunate to be able to do this work, privileged to collaborate with each of you, and grateful to each of your for what you bring to this important work every day.  I also felt that, with Laurie’s retirement, the children of our city will be losing an important advocate for their inherent right to become who they are meant to be and not be defined by labels, scores, or other’s expectations, biases, or needs.  Those of you who know Laurie know that she is irreplaceable.  However, we must all make sure that we don’t ever lose sight of those values and redouble our efforts.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, take a deep breath as another academic year is winding down, reflect on your important contributions to this work, and think about the exciting road ahead.

Thank you all for being who you are and for being part of our team.