I am a guidance counselor in a Brooklyn elementary school and have worked in the school system for 23 years. The teacher I would like to thank can probably no longer benefit from my praise, because has been over forty years since I was in her class. I would like to honor her anyway. Her words of encouragement sustained me through a difficult transitional period in sixth grade. I still remember them today and they guide me daily through my own interactions with my students. I cannot say that about any other teacher I had in my school career. The phrase was simple, basic- and shows just how much an adult's words have the power to help or heal. She said, after viewing a small project I had done for homework - "You made my day!" I wonder if she knew that was just what I needed to hear at that moment, but it has been with me all these years.
- Rhonda Peckman,
Former Student