Congratulations, Mr "V"!

My dad is retiring after 34 years of teaching. I was lucky enough to have him for my teacher in 5th grade and it turned out to be the best year ever. He was always one of the most requested teachers and you could always find kids from other classrooms hanging out in his classroom during recess. He was a great teacher, but he was also a guy who had a passion for building kids confidence in themselves. Who wouldn't want to be close to a guy like that?

Life lessons I learned in 5th grade:

"If you can't create it, don't destroy it." My dad has a love of nature that translates into his classroom in a way that will stick with you for life. His motto of, "If you can't create it, don't destroy it," runs through my head every time I kill a spider...the guilt of knowing I am killing a little brain, a nervous system, a working digestive system...it is not a secret that we are not a hunting family! My memories of my 5th grade classroom are filled with plants, hamsters, hamster babies, fish, snakes and a preying mantis that became the class mascot. Animals were only a part of it. Every season change, we all went outside and painted a seasonal picture of Mt. Timanogos. We had seasonal walks and even walked all the way to Geneva Rd. to collect caterpillars, that became crysulus', that hatched into butterfly's. Magical!

"No downers, only uppers" Sounds like drugs, I know. But it is all about RESPECTING OTHERS. My dad did not tolerate bullying, clicks or prejudice of any sort. If you were caught doing any of the above, you would find yourself answering to Mr. V...and that could be very scary indeed. He is the ultimate example of someone who lives what he believes and practices what he preaches.

Self Confidence. My dad had a very special way of giving a little confidence to the kid who was really struggling. He taught all his students how to juggle. Kids who didn't have anything that they could "do" or were good at, learned how to juggle! He would say that every kid needs SOMETHING that they feel like they are good at--and juggling is easier to teach than football!

He also had us give 2 minute talks every week. I think this really helped me come out of my shell and be able to talk in front of a group of people without crawling under my desk. Another way to help kids become more confident in themselves.

Keep it fun. No matter what we were in the middle of, our class broke for 10 minutes to go out and enjoy a rainbow, or catch those HUGE snowflakes during a heavy snowfall. We sat in a circle and popped popcorn during rainy day recesses. We always had an all day read-a-thon on the day after a major candy holiday like Halloween or Easter. He knew kids on a sugar high were not going to be able to concentrate so why not make it fun!

I could go on and on. Dad, I love you. You were the best teacher ever and I feel blessed to have you as my dad. ENJOY YOUR RETIRMENT!