During this Thanksgiving season, please let me take a moment to share with you what I am especially thankful for:

…the opportunity to serve the children of the Fairfield City School District.

…parents who are embracing a new concept in education, that of partnering with the schools in all aspects of what their children are learning, and how they learn it.

…teachers, who work diligently day after day to help students succeed.

…a community that truly understands how important it is, for so many reasons, to have excellent schools.

…the Joe Nuxhall Character Education Fund, giving us the example and the tools to teach children that who you grow up to be is more important than what you grow up to do. We will miss Joe very much.

…school principals who took me seriously when I told them I wanted them to run their own buildings (but who still know when to call me).

…the reporters who cover our school district, and tell the stories about all the neat and interesting things that happen every day.

…Joyce, my secretary, who demonstrates every day why three different superintendents have counted so much on her.

…high school football games, win or lose, they are still where a community comes together.

…all the employees in our school district who may not work directly with children in the classroom, but have valuable roles in achieving our mission.

…and especially our school custodians, who probably never had heard before this year about Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, but who still bore the brunt of our efforts to make sure our students and employees have a safe place to learn and work.

…the FHS Marching Band, which brings tears to my eyes every time I hear them play the fight song.

…our school board, who devote thousands of hours every year in providing leadership and guidance.

…today’s technology, which engages students in their learning (and for the technicians who do their magic to keep it all up and running!)

…club advisors, music and drama directors, and coaches who give hours aplenty to help students develop strong bodies, admirable skills, sound leadership, and healthy self-confidence.

…parent and community organizations including the PTCs, the Boosters, the Tempo Club,  Kiwanis, Rotary and the Optimists, among others, whose service benefits our students.

…the central office staff, who are not only valued professional colleagues, but are also my friends at the office, and who help keep me grounded.

…seeing the last bus pull into the compound around 4:45 p.m. each day and knowing that once again we got all “my kids” home safely.

And finally –

I am thankful for my husband, whose patience and support are apparently infinite. For my two girls, who remind me every day why children are so important, though it’s bittersweet that they are not children themselves anymore. And for gifts renewed: health, hope, faith, and love.

I wish all of you a wonderful season of Thanksgiving.

Published in the Fairfield Echo, Nov. 22, 2007.