Blog

During this season of Thanksgiving, the Network for Educator Effectiveness wants to give thanks to you – the educators we serve. Our team shared the following words of gratitude for all you do to make a difference and change lives every day. 

Tom Hairston, NEE Managing Director

I am grateful for the many small things that educators do every day.  

So many educators have worked closely to mentor new teachers and others that are finding themselves in school buildings for the first time. That work and the process of checking in has such a huge impact. I’m thankful for that work as it steadies the experience of students and passes on wisdom to the next generation.  

I’m thankful for the experiences that schools continue to provide for their students. You are finding ways to bus students to events during driver shortages, get all students meals during cafeteria worker shortages, and cover a class when substitutes may not be available. Stepping up to keep alive as many student experiences as possible is a huge task and takes a vast amount of time. The willingness to do so is always awe-inspiring.  

I’m thankful for the classroom teachers who create and spark so much joy. I’m thankful for the principals who create space and time for that joy to spread. I’m thankful for the parents and community members who share the joy and the mission of the great schools we work with every day.  

I’m thankful for my daughter’s own school and teacher. She is in third grade, and she has had so many “best day evers!” It’s a place that exudes warmth and kindness, and she has a teacher who teaches and leads from the heart.  

And that is so true of so many schools, so many leaders, and so many teachers — warmth, kindness, and those who do it with heart. That’s what I’m thankful for, and I’m grateful for how often I see it and hear about it from all the schools within our network.  

Cheri Patterson, NEE Member Services Representative

Educators are a resilient bunch, and it serves them well. Over the past couple of years, they have proven this over and over. Their ability to bend and stretch without breaking is remarkable. You can put them in the most impossible situations, and they just reinvent themselves and recover. Educators avoid seeing crises as insurmountable; in fact, they accept that change is a part of living. They remind me that life isn’t always fair, but it is always giving of opportunity and challenge. Thank you, educators, for teaching us that when your back is against the wall, you should come out swinging with a decisive plan, be determined to bounce back, and adapt to the situation. There’s no other profession like it. 

Chuck Mayes, NEE Member Services Representative

I’m thankful for: 

• all of you who actively participate in our recertification training, communities of practice, consensus scoring, and many other activities that contribute to everyone’s growth. 
• the hard work related to your district role that you engage in every day for our students.  
• the hard work not related to your district role that you do anyway because it seems the right thing to do. You make a difference every day from the small acts of kindness to the way you pitch in to do things just because things need to be done. 
• the trust you place in NEE in allowing us to help you with your questions, listen to your concerns, and be a part of what you do.  

• your feedback, which helps us see from your perspective and find ways to make improvements to our services.  
• your dedication to being an educator both during work hours and outside work hours when your students and/or parents need a hug, have a question, or just need a little guidance from you.  

Benjy Fenske, NEE Member Services Representative

I am thankful to have learned that there are many teachers who want to improve each day. Those educators have shown the desire to do what is best for their students, including working to get better in their professional practices.  

Jill Wiseman, NEE Member Services Representative

I was reminded this year just how noble and life-changing the education profession is. As I was retiring from my position, I had so many people reach out with stories and remembrances of times spent together and students who shared how teachers had made a difference for them. Through the years, teaching has changed and will continue to do so. It can be challenging, exhausting, and frustrating. But it is also a rewarding, exhilarating, inspiring, and heart-filling career that I would select again. To have the opportunity to truly impact in a positive way the generation of tomorrow — and to have some of the funniest and best stories to share about things that happen in class, to see the growth and light that shines in students’ eyes when they learn something new – I am so thankful to have been a part of that and for all of the educators that share in creating that atmosphere for their students each and every day. 

Soo-Yeon Cho, NEE Senior Researcher

I am thankful to all educators who made it possible for our students going back to school this year – bouncing back with student learning, participating in clubs, and seeing friends at school after the pandemic. 

Kendra Christians, NEE Marketing Director

I continue to be amazed by educators, and I am endlessly appreciative for the important work you do. I cannot imagine a more challenging yet rewarding profession. NEE continues to learn so much from your resilience and adaptability. You inspire us. Thank you for allowing us to partner with you and for your faith in us to support your growth.  

The Network for Educator Effectiveness (NEE) is a simple yet powerful comprehensive system for educator evaluation that helps educators grow, students learn, and schools improve. Developed by preK-12 practitioners and experts at the University of Missouri, NEE brings together classroom observation, student feedback, teacher curriculum planning, and professional development as measures of effectiveness in a secure online portal designed to promote educator growth and development.