Christmas Greeting- Ode to Teachers

Here is Ken with a guest blog post and Christmas wishes!

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Merry Christmas to all of you who celebrate. We are in Sunriver, Oregon with the Josie Girl’s parents, enjoying being out of the city, in the mountains, and… relaxed.. Deep breath.

 

 

During this season of celebration, I wanted to share a neat experience that I was fortunate to be part of before we left. It not only showed me the amazing power and importance of teachers, but also made me incredibly proud of my wife.

 

Before becoming a full-time private math tutor (in addition to writing this blog and being a mother of two), the Josie Girl taught at a private all-boys school in Manhattan for eight years.  Buckley was actually the school I went to growing up, and it has always held a special place in my heart.

 

She has always remained close to ex-students and has kept in touch with people from all over the country (remember this?). Nonetheless, I was a little surprised when she told me that she wanted to have ten of the boys from her first sixth grade homeroom class (now 23 years old) over for drinks (specifically whiskey, their request).

 

Having been a sixth grader way back when, and currently being… a guy, my initial reaction to hosting the reunion was best summed up by my Instagram post below:

 

 

Ha ha.

 

But the night turned out to be amazing.

 

The boys (men?) were so excited to recall stories, share progress, and update Miss P (maiden name- Proskurowski) on all that was going on in their lives…. their jobs, their families, their relationships. The entire night, it was abundantly clear how much of an impact she had on them. They loved updating her, and she truly loved seeing all that they have become.

 

 

Many of these boys were ushers in our wedding back in 2007!

 

The night also made me really proud of my elementary school (where Cruz is now a second grader). My Buckley friends are among my closest in life, and hanging out with this next generation, and seeing how they treated me, the Josie Girl, and each other really made me a proud alum.

 

 

 

The night was great, and then I saw this IG DM exchange between Miss P and her students the next day.

 

Truly amazing.

 

Thanks to the Josie Girl and her first homeroom class for letting me participate in the night. To all of the teachers out there: thank you for making such an impact on your students. To all of the non-teachers out there: support teachers!

 

Merry Christmas to all of those who celebrate, and Happy Holidays and a safe New Year to everyone.

 

-Ken

Josie Girl

5 Comments

  1. Awesome post Ken,

    Gotta love our teachers, was looking up one recently …when my bro reminded me its been sooooome time since , he cld possibly be 60-70-if alive at all…duh, odd didn’t think of it …guess, we remember them as the age we had them at!

    Immeasurable, the impact some had in our lives!

    Come from a long line of teachers on my mom’s side , mom, sis, aunt, bro…etc.,
    -not myself…-but much props!

  2. How cool! Anika, you clearly made such an impact on their lives. It must be awesome to get to hang with them now as adults. You are making me wish I was a teacher. very hard I’m sure, but also so rewarding!

    & Ken, great insta post btw

  3. What a great way to end the year, with a reminder of how awesome and appreciated you are! Takes a special kind of person to be a good teacher, and you must have been one of them Josie Girl!

    P.S. I love the wedding picture!!!!!!

    XO XO – Chic & Shabby By Sara

    Happy holidays & New Years to the Natori Family!

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