Warren Eukel Teacher Trust Award

Speech by Carol Schofield - Second Grade Teacher

Members of the Warren Eukel Teacher Trust, fellow teachers, guests, family and friends.

I want to thank you so much for this award. It is such an honor to be part of a group of dedicated teachers recognized by the Warren Eukel Teacher Trust. I would like to thank my principal, Jonathan Martin, for my nomination and allowing me to bring my own unique style and creativity into my classroom. I would like to extend this acknowledgment to the board of trustees and parents at Saklan Valley School for their strong support and friendship and the part they play in making Saklan such a wonderful place to teach.

I would also like to thank my husband and four children for providing me with a wealth of family stories, some funny and some not so funny, to share with my students. Learning some of life's lessons through the examples of others can be a powerful teaching tool.

Like many others in my profession, the only job I ever wanted when I grew up was to become a teacher. In fact, this desire created some problems for me during my childhood. I started having trouble keeping friends since the only game I wanted to play was school. Naturally, I would always be the teacher and believe me there would be plenty of work to do. Even at the age of 6 I had very high standards for my students. Well, you can imagine the thrill of walking into my first classroom as a full time teacher. There were my students, thirty-eight kindergartners looking up at me, their new teacher. My dream had become a reality. I was finally a full time teacher and now --- they all had to stay and play with me!

I consider myself one of the lucky ones. My chosen profession is my interest, it is my hobby, it is my passion. I look forward to greeting my students everyday. I love viewing the world through the eyes of a seven year old. There is always something new to learn, something amazing to discover and a day filled with laughter and hugs.

After the announcement of this award at our school a first grader came running up and hugged me. "Congratulations Mrs. Schofield, you got a reward" he said, "Did you know that I have blisters on my hands ii-om the monkey bars?"

As you can see, the focus is really all about the children ... and that is just as it should be.
Thank you.

Carol Schofield - Saklan Valley School, Second Grade Teacher