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September 2022 President's Message from Dr. Danielle Kovach

Did you ever have one of THOSE days? The ones where you can't seem to catch a break? That was me a few weeks ago. My mind was racing with the million things I needed to do, and I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing as I pushed my full grocery cart through the parking lot to my car. Then, I heard a woman shouting from a few aisles over. "Excuse me! Ma'am, excuse me!" I took a quick glance up, curious as to who was yelling. "Ma'am!" And there she was, waving in my direction. I figured that my giant package of paper towels must have slipped from the bottom of my cart. I gave my area the all-clear and headed to my car. The woman was now following me. "Hey," she yelled. "Are you a teacher?"  

Now, I knew she must have been talking to me. Was I giving off that teacher vibe again? Glancing down at my shirt made me realize I had blown my cover. Teacher-Virtually Unstoppable. Dang! There was no hiding my profession, so all I could do was fess up. I yelled back a timid "yes" and gave the woman a thumbs up. What she said next floored me. "God bless you and the work that you do. You keep teaching those babies. We need teachers like you. Thank you for being a teacher! I pray for our teachers every day. You keep teaching!"

And there it was. All I needed was a kind gesture from a total stranger to give me hope, encouragement, and motivation to move on. I'm sure that woman did not know how much I needed to hear her words, but she was put on my path that day for a reason.  

All of us are well into the school year now. Universities, colleges, and schools are bustling with education professionals who may be facing different challenges this year. Sometimes, just a kind gesture, words of encouragement, or acknowledgment of a job well done is all someone needs to light a spark in their heart and continue the day with a smile. We are always there for our students. Let's remember to be there for each other.     

Posted:  29 September, 2022
Topics:
Kovach Danielle
Author: Danielle M. Kovach, Ed.D.

Immediate Past President
Special Education Teacher
Tulsa Trail Elementary School
Hopatcong, NJ

Read more from Danielle M. Kovach, Ed.D.

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