Monday, May 9, 2011

Loving the blossoms!




by Yvonne Yates
yyates@klrn.org
Director of School Services, KLRN

I traveled to Washington DC a few weeks ago and missed the beautiful cherry blossoms by two weeks. The only indication of their presence were the fallen petals on the ground. It was these fallen petals that sparked my idea for this month’s newsletter. Although they were no longer part of the beautiful tree, they were evidence that they had grown as part of the tree.

I have had the pleasure of working with many schools this year and have grown as a person because of the special teachers, faculty and students that have taken on KLRN’s educational projects. Students like Ms. Stacy Hodges’ Sophomore World History Classes at Travis Early College High School who took on a public affairs project and produced amazing results in just three weeks. And Ms. Marie Bonar-Ruiz' Sophomore AVID students at Brackenridge High School who began working on the RoadTrip Nation Curriculum in October and are going to have their own film festival in a few weeks to showcase all their hard work. These are just two examples of the amazing work that students in our community are doing. I walk into classrooms every month and see how teachers are helping these students grow. Teacher Appreciation week is May 2-6, and I want you to know that we at KLRN not only appreciate everything you do but look for ways to showcase how your students grow from week to week and year to year.

To grow means to increase by natural development. The school year is quickly coming to an end and teachers have seen first-hand the growth of their students. Some have grown naturally without any extra help where as others have needed a little extra TLC to make that growth happen.

There was a bitter sweet feeling that would come to me this time of year. The sweet feeling of seeing how my students had learned and matured as the year progressed and yet bitter because I would no longer enjoy them as students in my classroom. My farewell hope for the 2010-2011 school year is that it has taken you and your students on an unforgettable journey.

KLRN will be growing this summer, too. Be on the lookout for a new KLRN Connect. Until August, I wish you all a wonderful summer.