In celebration and in honor of Teacher Appreciation week, I鈥檇 like to take this opportunity to send a very special thank you to each of our Spring Academy instructors.

Academy teachers bring passion and expertise in carrying out 优蜜视频鈥檚 mission of helping students build the skills, knowledge and confidence necessary to reach their full intellectual and personal potential. Each new Academy session presents a unique opportunity for instructors and their students to grow, but never in the history of 优蜜视频 has there been a session so remarkable as this spring, when, in the face of a global pandemic, teachers were challenged to adapt nearly every aspect of what they would normally do to inspire, engage and share their love for learning.

We can all think of a teacher who has made a positive impact on who we are and how we learn, work and play. Each of us can remember something a teacher said that inspired us, made us feel smart, successful, or that made us feel that we simply belonged. Or maybe they did something that helped us realize a goal or gave voice to an inner strength we didn鈥檛 know that we had and that the world needed.

American writer Alice Wellington Rollins said, 鈥渢he test of a good teacher is not how many questions he can ask his pupils that they will answer readily, but how many questions he inspires them to ask which he finds it hard to answer.鈥�

Grayson and Anita, thank you for being the perfect example of this sentiment. With grace and mastery your lessons encourage critical thinking in such a way that dialogue and debate become collective discovery. You are always willing and prepared to respond to those yet unanswered questions with nothing less than the same curiosity and desire to understand that you expect from your students.

It鈥檚 been said that teaching is the profession that teaches all the other professions. Rod, Stephanie, and Maria, thank you for sharing your content specialization with our students and encouraging them to experiment in ways that go beyond just imagining how to apply their knowledge to real-world solutions. Your experience in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, Pharmaceutical Bioengineering and Mathematics brought special relevance to courses like Biology of Me, Medical Pathology, and World of Science.

Chris, Joan, Rich, and Kathleen. Thank you for your boundless creativity, resourcefulness, die-hard preparation, and ability to pivot and leap to meet students where they are at, all the while planning three steps ahead to launch them further. There could be no better quote that encapsulates the professionalism and intention that you bring to each lesson than, 鈥淎 great teacher can teach Calculus with a paper clip and literature in an empty field. Technology is a tool, not a destination.鈥�

Lucy, Bradley and, Justin, thank you for offering a space where students can dive into their creative process without fear they鈥檒l find themselves lost in a sea of uncertainty. Your vision and instinct to guide students through their process of invention, whether in writing poems or expressing life through drawing, collage, or painting demonstrated so well that the best teachers are those who show you where to look but don鈥檛 tell you what to see.

Finally, I鈥檇 like to thank Amy, Richard, Toby and Summer with these words from Chinese philosopher Confucious, 鈥淓ducation breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace.鈥�
You each have an exceptional ability to perceive and respond to those critical moments when a student needs you to pause, reframe and rewind, deconstruct and construct again, theorize and strategize, and empathize and laugh. These consistent and sincere moments of mentorship builds the trust our gifted students need to be confident that the future will always hold something budding and beautiful for them to discover.

Thank you, Academy Spring Teachers, from all of us at 优蜜视频!

It鈥檚 Teacher Appreciation Week! 优蜜视频 Program Manager Hillary Jade shares her thoughts on why teachers should be appreciated, revered and supported.

Last week, program hosted its second Teacher Appreciation Evening, which was instituted in December as a way to honor our teachers who inspire, challenge, motivate, and encourage their students each session. Throughout the evening, Academy teachers shared stories, anecdotes and quotes from the Spring 2019 session 鈥� all of which were inspirational, witty, and indicative of the high caliber students who grace us with their presence every day. Truly, our teachers are invested, observant, passionate and committed to serving the gifted and talented students who walk through our doors.

As we reflect on the end of the Spring session 鈥� and the end of the school year at large 鈥� a fitting pop culture anecdote comes to mind:

Dead Poets鈥� Society is the quintessential teacher appreciation movie. Throughout the film, John Keating 鈥� played brilliantly by the late Robin Williams 鈥� inspires a group of reluctant prep school teenagers to love poetry, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Some of them dig in their heels; some of them instantly embrace it. When they find his old yearbook and learn he was a member of the Dead Poets鈥� Society, they strive to emulate him and his legacy. For he wasn鈥檛 a poetry nerd; he was a poetry god. The most iconic line of the movie is often quoted in everyday life: 鈥淐arpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.鈥�

鈥淭here鈥檚 a time for daring and there鈥檚 a time for caution, and a wise man understands which is called for,鈥� Keating goes on to explain, hitting home the need to push oneself and take risks 鈥� albeit calculated ones. And that is why he, like our instructors, is passionate, revered, talented and sensitive to the needs of adolescents.

don鈥檛 settle for second best. They push students to push themselves. Keating emphasizes to his students, 鈥淎 man is not very tired. He鈥檚 exhausted. And don鈥檛 use 鈥榲ery sad.鈥� Use鈥︹�檓orose鈥�!鈥� On the post-class student surveys we distribute each session we frequently get feedback like, 鈥淭his class was challenging 鈥� but in all the right ways!鈥� Instead of doing the minimum, Academy students stretch their boundaries, their limits and their safety net to produce extraordinary results. They couldn鈥檛 do this without our teachers, who burst through the Learning Center doors excited to delve into the differentiated curriculum.

Thank you, teachers, for inspiring our students to be engineers, historians, makers, debaters, scholars, peacemakers, artists, and innovators. You are the reason our students run up the sidewalk each day, eager and excited to learn from you and engage in academic inquiry. You are the reason we have such a high session-to-session student return rate. You are the reason we are able to offer innovative classes that students can鈥檛 find anywhere else, such as Zoo Design, Math for Future Architects and Rube-Goldberg: Machine and Mazes. Because of you, the Learning Center is filled with inquiry, laughter, advocacy, positive challenge, friendship, curiosity and heart.

As we head into Teacher Appreciation week, we encourage everyone to take time to thank the teacher(s) that has/have meant the most to them 鈥� whether in-person, via a hand-written card (a true form of appreciation!) or by recommending them or their class to other students. During an impassioned analysis of poetry with his students, Keating proclaims, 鈥淣o matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world!鈥� We firmly believe that. In fact, we know that to be true of our instructors and the students who admire them.

听Here are a few quotes from our Spring session, directly from students, about their teachers:

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think there could possibly have been a better teacher for Kitchen Chemistry than Miss Alka. She鈥檚 amazing and knows everything!鈥澨�� Sebastian (8)

鈥淎lka was SUCH a fun teacher to work with. She taught the KITCHEN CHEMISTRY class. She helped us if we needed help. She corrected us if we were wrong. And best of all, she was very, VERY nice.鈥�

鈥淭ristan was an AMAZING teacher to talk and relate with. I was in his class NEWTON: FORCES IN MOTION. I loved the apple-dropping experiment . Especially the part where you get to eat the apples (there were three apples.)* Tristan also helped us. He also corrected us. And he WAS NICE.鈥�

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Happy ! Every year, American Education Week celebrates individuals and organizations that ensure every child receives a quality education. Whether you are a parent, student, educator, or other supporter of learning, there are things you can do to honor those making a difference in the lives of students from all backgrounds. At 优蜜视频, we will be celebrating this week by gearing up for our Awards Dinner this Friday, where we will honor three local stars of gifted education. This event also helps us raise funds that will go toward scholarships, professional development, teaching resources, and other areas that increase the quality and accessibility of the programs we offer. This year, American Education Week is focused on honoring high-quality public schools and individuals that make them great (like two of our honorees, ). However, regardless of your educational background or involvement, there are numerous ways you can participate this week to recognize excellence in education!

Here are ideas of ways you can celebrate American Education Week:

• Post on social media about someone who made a difference to your or your child鈥檚 education using the hashtag #AEW2017. (If the person is part of 优蜜视频, tag us or use the hashtag #优蜜视频gifted to make sure we see it!)
• Parents, ask your kids different questions about their school day: What do you wish you learned more about? What does your teacher do that helps you learn at your best?
• Students, thank your parents or other adults who have spent time searching out programs that fit your specific interests and needs. Be open with your parents about your school day and specific ways they can help you achieve your learning goals.
• so we can continue to offer scholarships that guarantee no child is ever turned away from our programs for financial reasons.
• Show your appreciation for an 鈥� this includes office administrators, cafeteria staff, counselors, bus drivers, janitors, and others who keep schools and education centers running at their best in behind-the-scenes ways.
• Thank someone personally for the work they do in increasing access to quality education: this could be a policymaker in your area, an individual here at 优蜜视频, or someone else you know.
• Think about the opportunity for impact you possess, and then use it! You may be able to advocate for policy changes in your public school district, donate supplies or electronics to a program in need, or recommend 优蜜视频鈥檚 services to a newly identified gifted student in your child鈥檚 class.

However you choose to support the mission of American Education Week, thank you for doing so! Even after this week ends, continue to keep your eyes open for ways to guarantee all children receive an excellent education. All of us at 优蜜视频 will be doing the same!

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