Dear Stakeholders, Thank you.
Being thankful is a life skill that everyone should practice every day. We all have something to be grateful for. The Thanksgiving holiday is just around the corner, and a heightened sense of gratitude comes with this holiday. With everything there is to be thankful for, there’s no doubt that teachers are at the top of the list. 
Education is not a glamorous job; however, few professions allow people to change a life daily. In a student’s life, there are many hands at work to support a child’s education. Teachers play a significant role; however, we must remember the paraprofessionals, support teachers, administrators, office staff, speech therapists, cafeteria workers, and custodial staff. As a parent and an educator, I am thankful for each role filled at a K-12 school district that ensures each student is cared for, educated, protected, fed, and learning in a clean environment.
Behind the scenes, there are curriculum writers, ed-tech companies, and endless specialists constantly looking at data and evaluating best practices and opportunities for teachers and students. I’m so thankful for all of the “seen” and “unseen” professionals who are a part of a much larger picture than many may realize: a child’s education and future.
Data is a massive piece of the puzzle when trying to create a successful learning map for teachers and their students. Often, the biggest miss for schools is to make data-informed decisions that can optimize how funds are spent, which ultimately affects student and teacher resources.
I’m incredibly grateful for the technological advances that allow school districts and stakeholders to gather valuable data and for those who utilize that data in the very best ways possible.
It’s impossible to please everyone; I am also thankful for that knowledge. However, I’m grateful for the collaboration between ed-tech companies and school districts who look at the big picture and create and innovate resources for students and teachers with benchmarks that continually allow learners to grow and develop within their various subjects.
There’s an old saying that I’m sure we’ve all heard before, “It takes a village.” This is certainly as true in education as in parenthood and raising children. The average teacher affects over 3,000 students during their career. That’s a large number of helping hands! Now, consider all of the professionals working behind the scenes to ensure that the teacher and the student have the resources they need, or sometimes, just any resources at all.
I’m thankful for the village that stands behind the support and advancement of K-12 public education and for all that they do to make an educator’s job possible (not easy), but possible.
Keep caring, keep creating, keep innovating, and analyzing applicable data. Why? Because we all need each other. After all, “it takes a village.”
Written by: Meredith Biesinger
