An Open Letter to the Ladies of Pinewood
After four long
months, I am venturing home to Kentucky from Thessaloniki. Throughout the first
17 hours of my journey, I was reflecting on my experience at the Pinewood American
International School. I met some
amazing people and truly talented educators. I had highs and lows but in the
end I can see how much I have grown in the last sixteen weeks. I owe most of
that growth to the ladies of Pinewood, a wonderful group of women that work
together to build up their students. Below is an open letter to five of these
women.
Dear Liza:
Thank you, again, for all of the hard work that you do with your rambunctious
group of first graders. I know how much time you spend thinking about each
child and how it keeps you up at night. You go above and beyond and then a
little more. Thank you for being such a wonderful role model to all of the
other student teachers, past and present. Also, I have worn the scarf you gave
me all the way honme!
Dear Emily: Thank you for letting me sit on your couch, use
your wifi, and borrow your electricity. But really—you have been a great friend
to me these last few months. I appreciate all of the support and advice you
have given me about teaching. Also, you make me much cooler than I actually am.
Dear Dimitra: Thank you for sharing your class with me this
semester. I learned so much from you about behavior management and being a
support system for students. Thank you for reminding me that it is important to
be assertive and to stand up for myself. Also—thanks for taking me to airport!
I wasn’t expecting it to be such a bloody experience...
Dear Monica: Thank you for all of the encouraging words and
for opening your home to me when I needed it the most. You are an amazing
teacher. Your ability to adapt to the range of needs for your students is
incredible. Don’t feel bad that no one sends you their naughty students! That means that you’re the nice
teacher!!!
Dear Fay: I’ll
miss our morning chats on the bus each day. Thank you so much for the advice
about teaching and for sharing Kalypso with me. You brightened my day each
morning and I wish you all the best!
Thank you, everyone. I
hope that we will be able to keep in touch. Have a lovely Christmas and a Happy
New Year!
Elizabeth
