 |
| Kim Grover |
Dear Colleagues,
As president of the Yarmouth Education Association it is my distinct
honor to announce that the 2014-15 Educator
of the Year Award will go to a member of the Frank Harrison Middle School
faculty.
Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to make these announcements and,
not only is it an honor, it is a distinct joy for me to do so. I am fortunate to work with a wealth of gifted
colleagues in this district, any number of whom would be an apt standard bearer
for the excellence that this award represents.
This year’s recipient certainly qualifies as such a person.
There was once a poster hanging in the guidance office that depicted
birds singing in a tree with a caption that said, “Use the talents you
possess - for the woods would be a very silent place if no birds sang except
for the best.” This metaphor
always struck me because, as I’ve oft noted to my students, there must have
been a time just before our birth, when an announcement was made. The proclamation was something to the effect
that, “Whomever would like some talent (singing, dancing, sculpture etc.) come
forth and receive thy gift.” I’m quite
certain that I must have remained seated and quipped, “No, thanks, I’m good!” So, now
when I go to a school play or concert, or attend an art exhibition, or witness
the myriad of talent manifested in our students, I really regret the decision not
to get me some of that too.
One day during a class when I was lamenting my total lack of artistic
acumen and how I didn’t even know the difference between a g clef and a
middle-C, a student asked, “Biskup, did
you ever try to understand the difference?”
The height of irony was evidenced when another student chided, “Maybe you just need a good teacher.”
This actually caused me to think about my colleagues whose work with
students is made visible via a public performance. From the point of view of someone who’s never
had his students take an AP Physics exam in front of hundreds of onlookers, the
notion of an audience seems a very scary proposition indeed.
Today’s recipient produces work that is on constant public display. This educator has the opportunity to impact
and inspire virtually every student at HMS and does so with the aplomb and
skill of a consummate professional.
Students who walk into this teacher’s classroom may do so with a certain
degree of trepidation, but leave with a joy and confidence that is borne from
achieving something previously thought to be impossible. How one transforms a cacophony of sound into
a melodic symphony is a question that certainly escapes my ability to
ascertain. Just as we have a myriad of
visual art on display throughout this district, we have the performing arts in
the air. Each and every student who
interacts with this educator is imbued with the passion for the arts, her
enthusiasm is infectious and her love of teaching and her students is palpable.
Allow me to close with a quote from Maya Angelou, “A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has
a song”. Who better to bring that
song to fruition than this year’s awardee?
It is with great delight that I announce the 2014-15 Educator of the Year. This year’s recipient is Kimberly Grover.
No comments:
Post a Comment