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I am kicking off the new year with a link to an article published on OPB and written by Elizabeth Miller.
As a special education teacher, one of my greatest gifts is to be able to inspire students. It is so important to encourage, uplift, and hold high expectations for children! https://www.opb.org/news/article/special-education-oregon-teacher-of-the-year-mercedes-munoz/
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"...I believe teaching is a sacred act. It is not only for the purpose of developing young minds to learn to read, apply mathematical principles, and write. It is also the opportunity to engage youth in their own advocacy, to encourage their relationships with the people around them, and to challenge them to think critically, openly, and in reverence of the vast world around them. Teaching is and should be celebratory. We, educators, are bestowed the honor of being able to give shape to both the future and present. It is a call to action that is exhilarating, exhausting, and exponential..."
"...From my 2013 school year, I learned three things: Love is nothing if it is not willing to be inconvenienced; excellence does not mean perfect; and finally, that when I stepped on to campus, I had one decision to make. I determined from there that all children belong to me and I to them. These three guiding beliefs have kept me on days when I would otherwise quit, propelled me to improve my practice, and commit to being fully present each day..." At conferences, one of my students said, "You know what, Mrs. Munoz? I love and respect you."
This was music to my ears, to which of course, I responded, "I love and respect you." I am grateful for the ability to be a mirror. I reflect back to my students. In my heart they find space and in turn we are all illuminated. This friends, is enough. I am grateful for the time I get to spend with students and for the ways in which we shape each others lives. M. Munoz Some days my hands feel feeble
The strain of holding much causes my fingers to cramp My breathing more rapid My thoughts more full And then, a rambunctious shout of "Mrs. Munoz" brings the corners of my mouth into a full blown smile. I forget about worrying. I remember the example of these precious ones entrusted to my care. Every day, there is room for grace. Drink it up. Relax those hands. Breathe. We. Are. Enough. Each of us doing what we can. By Mercedes Munoz October 17, 2019 |
Inspirational Quotes“Language alone protects us from the scariness of things with no names. Language alone is meditation.” (Toni Morrison’s Nobel lecture, 1993) Archives
December 2019
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