Platte River Elementary Knights: Retirement

My father found something he enjoyed and that he was good at, and he began working hard at it. When that happens, it doesn't feel like work (I'm told). He took great pride in the company he worked for. He's always been able to demonstrate an excellent balance between work and family, and for my brothers and I, he's been a living example of hard work and integrity in the work place. He's imparted a lot wisdom to us over the years. And now, this May, he will be retiring.

My dad will be retiring from the same company he was hired by 40 years ago. My mom has been retired from her public school special education teaching position for a few years, and now they're looking forward to traveling around the country together visiting their ten grandchildren, several National Parks, and other bucket-list locales along the way. It's been something they've been talking about and looking forward to for several years. To say that I'm proud of both my parents would be profoundly understating my respect for each of them and their respective careers.

For me, retiring is SO far off into the future. It's not on my radar, whatsoever. It's not a topic I would have even mentioned here, but I'm happy for my parents, and my dad's retirement makes me think about what kind of legacy I'll leave when that day eventually comes for me. 2042. I know, that year sounds fake, maybe a movie title or something. But some day, my retirement will come, and I'll be faced with the end of my career and I'll take stock of what was.

My hope is that I'll be able to be proud of the way that I treated the people with whom I worked. I want to have helped students learn, to have cultivated a positive workplace, to have helped teachers become the best they can be, and to have provided a high-quality and safe environment for the families that I've served. It's with those end goals in mind that I create each of my todays between now and then.

Last Week at Betsie Valley

The weather was rainy all week and prevented the kids from getting outside for recess. Considering we all would much rather be outside in the spring, everyone handled it very well.

Dale Jeske leads a playgroup for children aged 0-4 in this area. There were a handful of families at Betsie Valley Thursday morning playing with their families.

A handful of parents of preschoolers visited Mrs. Dodge's classroom on Thursday night to hear all about Kindergarten. Welcome to Betsie Valley, little Bobcats!

Of course, Mother Nature gave us another Snow Day on Friday, April 12th! Ridiculous!

Next Week at Betsie Valley

Monday: Girl Scouts 4:30

Tuesday: Fire Drill 1:35; Girls on the Run 4:00

Wednesday: Fifth Grade Field Trip to Thompsonville Library 9:15am

Thursday: 4th Graders SBA Pilot 2:30; Girls on the Run 4:00; Chess Club 4:00

Friday: Kirsten Gerbatsch at Betsie Valley for tastings & lessons; Report Cards; Movie Night 6:00

Links / Articles / Websites

Why It's Important to Teach and Learn

Why Do We Continue to Use Letter Grades

The 8 Characteristics of a 21st Century Teacher

Videos to Watch

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