1. the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.
To the teacher who is my inspiration,
Whenever I was younger, I always forced my cousins, friends, brother or whoever was closest to play 'school' with me. I always wanted to be the teacher and I needed a class to teach too, so of course who better to teach than your younger brother. He would get angry and be defiant (boy did I not know he was only preparing me for the later real world, like today...) and eventually he would beg me to "end class early". Even though, it took me a few semesters in college to come to the realization that I wanted to teach, I had always known somewhere that I needed to be a teacher.
Here I am today, reflecting on you, one of the most influential and inspiring teachers that I had the pleasure of having. This week, one of Sedgwick's greatest teachers will leave the heart and halls of SHS. I say heart because everyone all knows your classroom is inevitably the center of school. Smack dab in the middle of school. For many years, SHS, the facility, and more importantly the students have been blessed with a wonderful art teacher. Luckily, I am able to say I was one of those many students.
I transferred to Sedgwick when I was in seventh grade, absolutely dreaded it might I add (sorry but I am just telling the truth). However, one thing, I definitely looked forward to was the fact I was enrolled in art. Art was always a class I looked forward too and was my escape in a way. I was free to do what I wanted, be creative, and just have fun. So having art on my schedule was the only thing I looked forward to when starting a new school. So let me set up the scene here just in case you "don't remember"... Here I was this shy, scared, and awkward seventh grader going in to some brand new school that I did NOT want to be at. I walk into art with Andrea Brown, who was showing me around, I was greeted by this women. She welcomed me and we sat down at the first table by the door. I do not remember what the art project was exactly but all I know was that we had to cut something out. So here I am cutting stuff out just minding my own business when I hear, "what is this? You cut like a kindergartener!" I look up and my art teacher is holding what I had just cut out...Ouch okay, sorry guess I already made a bad first impression here. (Even though you do not believe me when I say this happened, I promise you it did. It scarred this left handed person... what you did not realize is life in a right handed world is sometimes hard). However, little did I know that someday I would look back on this and laugh. Little did I know that at every lunch, get together, or just simple conversation post graduation, this would still come up in conversation and WE would laugh at this.
Middle school finished and it was time to go to high school. I started to warm up to this place called Sedgwick a little more and I actually started to enjoy it. Like always I enrolled in art. I was excited to actually start high school art because this meant that we could make bigger and better projects like jewelry, pottery, and print making. Freshmen year, I kind of laid low and just observed. Art class sophomore year: Lacy, Brittany, Dustin, and Kirstie. Need I say more? That was the year I give a lot of my credit to you. That year was full of a LOT of laughs, a lot of gum popping, and a lot of singing and dancing. Anywhere in the world with Dustin is to be followed with some singing and dancing. This was the year, I started to realize how awesome of a teacher you were. That year, my personal life was a little of a struggle and you were there for me. I never asked you for anything but you being the definition of a great teacher, you knew something was off. I will always remember you pulling me aside and asking me what is going on. That was the moment, I knew you were more than just my teacher. You were someone who believed in me when I did not even believe in myself. You made me believe that all things are possible if you "think you can do it". What you think expands right? I know I tell you this ALL the time and I am sure it looses its validity after awhile but you are such an amazing person, educator, artist, and friend. You truly helped make me the person, I am today.
So here I am still reflecting on my high school years, I cannot help but to think about all the lessons you have taught me. Not only did you teach me how to cast jewelry, make that PERFECT print (God only knows there is only about one or two of those perfect prints), keep your pottery just the right amount of wet, the list can go on but you also taught me basic life lessons. You have taught me to go after my dreams. My dreams of wanting to go to the University of Kansas, the dream of actually graduating college, and my most recent dream of teaching in Honduras. If there was one person who definitely pushed me to actually teach here, it would be you. So thank you, thank you for that. Thank you for being such a great role model and teacher.
I just wanted to say thank you, thank you for everything you have ever done for me, for the students of Sedgwick, and for anything and everything else. You have truly enriched the lives of many. Here is a small list of things I know I will miss and I am sure others will too:
-coming back to Sedgwick and seeing the latest addition of ceiling tiles
-the senior bricks in the back room
-knowing you will always make me spit my gum out even if it still had flavor because I had JUST put it into my mouth
-not closing your door
-your space heater, even though it's August and its 97 degrees outside
-the beginning of the year art project with the 9 squares and random lines (always a fun way to begin a semester)
-hearing "what you think expands" at least once a day
-You
Congratulations, Nancy Jo! Congratulations for being such an amazing educator all these years but more importantly congratulations on your retirement! You deserve it! Best of luck to the next big thing you do! It will probably be going viral for drawing on shoes or something... I hear you're pretty good at that!
With love,
From just another student but this student just so happens to cut like a kindergartner.
"I teach because I am still inspired by a great teacher I had when I was a kid. So, I get that what we do every single day truly matters." --unknown.
And here I am, actually teaching...I look back on the teachers who influenced and inspired me in high school and I hope to be a fraction of them someday. You, you also taught me a lot about who I am right now, about being an educator. You taught me that being a teacher is important but caring for your students is the most important.
