...the greatest gift that a teacher can give to a student: confidence and passion.
—Alex Baldwin

As an administrator and teacher I have frequently been told that I am a beacon of light on Education Boulevard. It is a known fact that the key to success in real estate is location, location, location. Likewise, if you want to be successful in life you need education, education, education. By instilling the value of education, we give children the opportunity to hope, to dream, to change, to grow, to influence and to lead others.

My passion is educating children, as education is the key to opening locked doors. The successes that I have experienced as an educator would not have been possible without a teacher.

Moving from Arkansas to Madison to work as a teacher for the Madison Metropolitan School District will always be - in my registry - as a "priceless" experience for my three children and me. We left a locale with limited resources and moved to Madison where they were bountiful.

I believe that all children come to school to learn. As a teacher, it was my job to instruct, model, coach and encourage children to do their best. I often told myself that children don't come to school with baggage - they come with trunks.

As a teacher for over twenty six years, my mission was to equip them with the tools to unpack these trunks to a successful life. Being a teacher always mattered. It is an honor, a sacred trust and a profound privilege to have been a teacher.

Allow me to tell you what teaching has meant to me; it is an answer to a lifelong calling; it has given me the opportunity to motivate children from all walks of life to have learning as their highest priority. It has given me the advantage to see lives change on a daily basis and miracles happen. It has given me the unique perspective to see tomorrow's heroes before anyone else. It has given me the chance to remain young while growing older at the same time. It has given me the opportunity to nurture children with a smile. Teaching is a badge of honor and I wear it proudly.

I am proud to have touched the lives of so many Madisonians. Children truly are our most precious resources. They are like a flower garden we can water, fertilize, watch and enjoy their growth and beauty. Over the years, I have both knowingly and unknowingly planted seeds of hope, motivation, and dreams.

I have not been on the road to education by myself. My fellow travelers have included my parents who taught me that nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it. They dreamed the impossible dream for their children. Others along the road have been my family, my children, my supporters, my colleagues, my staff and my distracters.

Even though I am retiring as an administrator, my mind will always be that of a teacher, one who is constantly trying to motivate others, give hope and shine light on the road of education. In the words of Christa McAuliffe, teacher/astronaut, "I touch the future; I teach."

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