We arrived Thursday and checked in at the AT&T Conference Center and Hotel on the campus of the University of Texas. The Texas Exes, as part of our award, took care of all our expenses while there, and the accommodations they provided were very nice. After check in, I went to an orientation meeting with the other honorees, and it was here that we received our first set of gifts.
I received this book, "Between Heaven and Texas," a collection of beautiful photographs, essays and poems. I love photographs of nature, and this book is full of landscapes, sunsets, clouds and other images, all taken in our great state.
Next was a tin of various flavors of popcorn. This will not last long at my house.
And last in this group of gifts was this personalized bottle of wine. It is a Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile, and the dilemma we face is one of opening it and saving the bottle, or saving bottle, wine and all for our next special occasion...say the third Tuesday of the month.
After this "orientation" session, we took our gifts to our rooms and then met back downstairs to catch a chartered bus to the UT Alumni Center. There we were greeted by alumni (imagine that) and honorees from years past. There I made several new friends, among whom was Porky Haberman. Sorry, I don't know his real name, because he insists on being called Porky. Porky is the Texas Ex who started this teacher recognition program in 1987 and continues to be involved in the selection of honorees today. He is one of the friendliest, genuinely warm people you could ever meet. He does not forget names, and he loves teachers! Meeting him was one of the highlights of the whole experience. At the alumni center, we had cocktail hour first. I don't have to tell those of you who are teachers, but for those unfamiliar with a teacher's world, cocktail parties are not given in our honor. (I hate throwing out absolutes, so I should say I have never seen a cocktail party given for teachers before Thursday night.) After cocktails, we were served a delicious dinner, which included a braised chicken breast on a bed of wilted spinach (remember this), parmesan risotto with sun dried tomatoes, a delicious salad of mixed greens and chocolate mousse pie/cake for dessert. Dinner was served with a nice red wine and coffee with dessert. After dinner, the new honorees were given the privilege of introducing ourselves to our new friends and telling our stories of how we found out about being selected for the award. Since my story was rather dry and the former winners' stories were so good, I made up a story of my own, which was a composite of all the stories told around my table during dinner. It got a few laughs and was much better than what really happened.
The next morning we met again to catch the bus to the alumni center for a continental breakfast. It was continental in the sense that we went through line to get what we wanted, but there were great choices - breakfast burritos, fruits, breads, juices, excellent coffee, teas, etc. No one left hungry.
We had several sessions during the day. Some were informational, others were focused on discussions about relevant topics in education, and all were attended by a variety of people. There were teachers, students studying to be teachers, professors, both from the college of education and from other colleges, lawmakers, the college of education advisory council and others from I don't know where.
The student teachers and advisory council presented each of the new honorees with a granite apple and stand.
Lunch was delicious. Soup followed by turkey wraps (with spinach) and an excellent pastry with creme and strawberries. Not too heavy, but truly outstanding.
After our sessions, the new honorees were taken back to the ballroom at the conference center, where we had a walk-through of the upcoming evening festivities. After that, we had about an hour and a half to go to our rooms, clean up, change clothes and try to compose ourselves for what lay ahead.
The evening began with a brief cocktail time in the lobby outside the ballroom. Shortly after 6 p.m., the doors were opened and we went into the ballroom. It was decorated beautifully. It was a formal evening, so the tables were set accordingly for dinner. The stage was simple, with a deep crimson curtain as a back drop. At our table were myself, Deneen, my brother John, another honoree and her family and the two sisters who have endowed the award I received in honor of their mother. Carolyn and Julie were fantastic! Their friendliness and conversation throughout the evening helped so much in easing the nervous tension I was feeling about receiving this award and speaking in front of several hundred people. Dinner was great...again. We begin with a spinach salad. Melanie, the other honoree at our table, and I decided they were doing their best to get one of us up in front of the crowd with spinach between our teeth. Breakfast was the only meal where I didn't see spinach, and that may have been because I just overlooked it. Short ribs and mashed potatoes were the main course, and a hazelnut brownie was served for dessert. Again, dinner was served with a nice wine, which I have to say, helped a lot in calming my nerves...almost as much as Julie and Carolyn.
The presentation of the honorees was incredible. I feel so blessed to have been honored with the group I was with. They are such amazing teachers and people, and I find it hard to put myself in the same category with them. The accolades that came from our principals, former students, parents, colleagues and friends was so humbling, and to have a group such as the Texas Exes heap such praises on us was not easy for any of us. As teachers, we do what we do because we love kids, teaching and the relationships we get to have with so many good people.
Above is the sculpture, which was presented to me at the ceremony, that was commissioned on behalf of this year's recipients.
Below is the inscription on the sculpture's base.
This silver frame was a gift given to me by the donors of my award, Carolyn and Julie. They are so generous!
The last of our awards was a proclamation from Governor Perry in recognition of our accomplishments. No matter what you may think of him, you have to admire his willingness, as an Aggie, to make this proclamation via the Texas Exes. I know I do.
And, attached to the back of the proclamation was a nice check from the Texas Exes. I think I will finally get that widescreen TV!
The honor, recognition and gifts I received at this event were beyond my wildest dreams. The new friends I made and the realization that there are so many passionate, caring teachers out there was refreshing and even more meaningful than all the accolades. I am so glad to have these colleagues as new friends, and I look forward to communicating with them and seeing them in years to come.
As a part of our remarks upon receiving our awards, each of the recipients talked about what the award means to us, and we each tried to express our thanks to a variety of people. I'm sure I didn't do that the justice it deserves due to nerves, so I will try again here.
I am so thankful to the University of Texas and the Texas Exes, for the award and for their commitment to training quality teachers for the future. Their dedication to making the teaching profession one deserving of honor is to be commended.
I am thankful for people like Porky Haberman who started this recognition and who, evidently, helps keep it going some 25 years later.
I am thankful for the generosity of Carolyn and Julie, who honor their mom as their first and best teacher by giving of themselves to honor teachers who are important in the lives of others.
I am thankful to my principal, Gavan Goodrich, for nominating me for this award, and to my superintendent, Ted Moore, and assistant superintendent, Dennis Muizers, for taking time to come to Austin to be with me at the awards ceremony.
I am thankful to Brian Sperry and Adam Lowder, former students and current friends, Lynn Sperry, mother of Brian and school board member in McKinney ISD and Darla Emerson, friend and fellow teacher, all who wrote the kindest, most generous letters on my behalf.
I am thankful for my parents, who instilled in me a strong work ethic and the belief that hard work, in and of itself, is a virtue.
I am thankful for my brother, John, for his presence at such an important event for me, and for his presence throughout my life. John has taught me the importance of self-confidence and the peace of mind that comes from accepting myself as I am. His pride in what I do means more to me than I can ever express.
And of course, I am thankful for Deneen. Deneen has supported me, encouraged me, listened to me gripe and now rejoined me in the classroom after a 21-year absence. I could never have been the teacher I am without her doing the things she's done. Like the foundation under a house, she has not been noticed much, but without her there, I often would've crumbled. Her willingness to live on a teacher's salary, and to do so cheerfully, has made the wonderful life we have together possible. I love her more than anything in this world.
OK. That's it. I doubt I will ever experience anything like this again. That's OK, though. I now plan to be on the lookout for the excellent teachers around me so I can nominate them. More teachers need this sort of recognition, and I'm going to do my part.
