This is national Teacher Appreciation Week, and the timing couldn’t be better. If ever there was a time to stop and thank our teachers for all they do, this is it. Under normal circumstances, teachers work hard and are instrumental in helping develop your children into the scholars, leaders, citizens, and persons of character that they will become. We have always known the contributions that teachers make, but that awareness was mostly abstract.
Now, after the events of this spring, that awareness is more deeply felt. You really do know and appreciate how much effort it takes to keep children on task and moving in the right direction throughout the day. It’s a huge and challenging task--one to which our faculty have dedicated their lives. They do an amazing job on a normal day. And, they have truly risen to the challenge over the last couple of months.
When I think about what makes James River such a special place, it is the dedication and hard work of the faculty that makes it so. It is the interactions between caring, responsible, knowledgeable adults and your children that IS James River Day School. All the other tasks of running a school are to support this vital work. So, hats off to our teachers! I am repeatedly astonished at their inventiveness and curiosity, their enthusiasm and caring. They give face and body to what the words “dedicated education professional” mean. I am honored to know and work with this wonderful group of teaching experts.