A Message from Ben Shuldiner

Dear Seattle Public Schools Community,

I hope this newsletter finds you well.

Happy Mother's Day! Today, I write to you all as we celebrate the women who brought us into this world. I hope that everyone reading this is able to spend some time, either in person or digitally, with your mom or grandma or the woman who raised you. And if that person is no longer with us, I hope that you are able to spend some time with family reflecting on the impact she made on your life.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms of Seattle Public Schools!

And of course, this week was Teacher Appreciation Week. For anyone who has ever had a great teacher, you know just how impactful they are to you academically, socially, and emotionally.

A great teacher can truly change the course of a child's life. Be it teaching a skill that a student loves and then pursues as a vocation or exposing a young learner to a topic of interest that becomes a life-long pursuit. That one book, that one class, that one field trip can open up pathways a pupil might never have known. When you compound that one lesson 180 times, your life trajectory inexorably changes for the better.

I was lucky enough to have many teachers that positively impacted me. Thanks to Ms. Wells, I learned about birds and art. Thanks to Ms. Kagan, I learned how to use footnotes and cite my work and how to research and study. Thanks to Dr. Mason, I learned how to conceptualize mathematics in a way I still use today. Thanks to Dr. Perrone, I learned how a teacher could be creative and engaging while still teaching state standards.

It's never too late to show your appreciation to our educators. So, here is a great chance to say thank you. I ask everyone reading this newsletter to thank a teacher. Try to find your favorite teacher; maybe they have long since retired, living in Florida. Perhaps they are still teaching at Garfield. Maybe they now work in the central office. Track them down, say thank you, write them a card, buy them a cup of coffee. One year, a former student of mine came to my classroom and handed me a little trophy, which read, "Thank you for believing in me." I will tell you that I still get choked up when I think about that moment and act of thanks.

Teachers and educators work incredibly hard. Day in and day out, they endure the long hours, stress, and the 1,001 things they are asked to deal with on a constant and consistent basis. Please take time to reflect on the great work a teacher did for you, and hopefully, you can find a way to say thank you.

Happy Teacher Appreciate Week to all our wonderful educators! Thank you for all you do.

Ben

There is so much great learning happening in our schools, and while we share many of these stories in our monthly newsletter, we know it’s easy to miss a few along the way.

My “In Case You Missed It” feature will highlight some of those stories, giving you another chance to see how students and staff across every region are bringing learning to life. This week, check out our Regional School News Roundup—a collection of stories that shines a spotlight on the wonderful work being done by our teachers, students and staff. See what's happening at Cascadia Elementary, Washington Middle School, Nathan Hale High School, and more!