I would like to take this opportunity, when all of America joins together in appreciation of our Nation’s teachers, to recognize the great work of our own educators.  DoDDS-Pacific/DDESS-Guam proudly joins the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and school districts all over the country in recognizing our teachers during National Teacher Appreciation Week.  This year’s commemorative week is scheduled for May 7–13, 2006. 

Teacher Appreciation Week was established around 1944.  In 1953 Eleanor Roosevelt persuaded Congress to proclaim a National Teacher Day.  Since 1984, the National PTA has designated the first week in May as a time for communities nationwide to honor teachers for being a guiding force in helping children develop into healthy, happy, and successful adults. 

We all can remember a favorite teacher who had a significant impact on our lives.  That person may have served as a mentor, may have sparked a passion for learning, or may have believed in us when no one else did.  Despite the day to day demands of our positions, it is critical for us to keep in the forefront the contributions we make to the overall lives of the students we teach.  Often it was a teacher who influenced our own lives in a significant way and that may be why we became teachers ourselves.  Children need someone to look up to, and for many of America’s students, that someone is you.  Recently, I was looking at some greeting cards and came upon this quotation that I think sums up the importance of our jobs as educators: “A teacher takes a hand, opens a mind, touches a heart.”  I can’t think of a more fitting tribute.

In comparison to many stateside school systems, our students continue to excel in academics as measured by standardized tests.  The number of students that graduate and continue onto post secondary education is also very high.  In our Far East Activities, the special talents and passions of our students are brought out and I see them developing the confidence needed to enable them to become leaders in our society.  Their success is a direct result of the creative talents, dedication, and commitment of their teachers.

To all of our DoDDS-Pacific/DDESS-Guam teachers, thank you for your continued loyalty to our students and schools, and especially to the military communities we serve.  I am proud to serve as your Director and humbled to work with such fine educators, who are inspirational role models for our future citizens.  Please take some time this week to reflect on your contributions to our students and find a way to celebrate your successes.  You deserve it!

Nancy C. Bresell
Director, DoDDS-Pacific/DDESS-Guam