Thank you teachers!

Today is TBT, but it is also a day that I am going to reflect on my time growing up in the Columbia Public School system in Columbia, MO. I grew up in a university town (University of Missouri, Stephens College, and Columbia College) where there were infinite opportunities and activities in which children could join. It was not a big city – about 60,000 (now it’s 130,000!!) so it was very much a community in which you could go to the grocery store to buy sugar but stay for half an hour because you run into everyone you know.

It was (and still is) a city full of parents who cared about their children’s education, the schools were full of attentive teachers, and music and art were still classes taught once a week that all the kids looked forward to. Looking back on all of this and thinking about the kind of educational experience my little one year old is going to start in the next few years, I am truly grateful and thankful for the education I received in Columbia, MO.

I can remember every single teacher I had, because every single one of them inspired me in one way or another. I remember being encouraged to ask questions, to listen, to explore and to grow, and I am honored to be added to the Columbia Public School Foundations Hall Of Leaders as an Outstanding Alumni. There are so many great people that have walked through the halls of Columbia Public Schools and I am lucky to have been one of them. Without the leaders I had early in my life, I would not have been inspired and encouraged to start this journey that has been engaging, exciting, challenging and full of love. Thank you also to my supportive parents, sisters, family and friends. Teachers: Mrs. Terry, Mrs. Hair, Mrs. Young, Mrs. Bohon, Mrs. Kopman, Mr. Jensen, Ms. Craigmile, Mrs. Royer, Ms. Wright, Mr. Rupp, Mr. Baldwin, Mrs. Hook, Mr. Hook, Mr. Patterson, Mrs. Bard, Mr. Noll, Mr. Landry, Mrs. Grupe, and more!