Golden Apple Teacher Award

Today I was invited to a special luncheon honoring Golden Apple Educators and Staff. To my surprise I was nominated by the Manila Elementary PTA to receive this award. This is my first REAL award since I have been teaching so I was very honored and excited.

They fed all of us a delicious lunch and then presented the awards. They handed out a program with a write up about each one of the people chosen. This is what was written in the program about me.

Holly is not only an excellent teacher, but she is an outstanding communicator. Parents of children in her class say this is a "wonderful gift." This 2nd grade teacher's ability to communicate with kids in helping them understand difficult concepts as well as her ability to keep parents informed ensures an optimum learning experience for the students in her class. She's quick to notice if a student needs extra attention in order to overcome an area where they may struggle. This creative teacher has an impressive ability to motivate her students. Holly has been teaching for four years-all at Manila. According to a parent, "thanks to Mrs. Deaver, my son loves school!" That is probably because Holly loves children and that is what inspired her to become a teacher. Feeling like she makes a difference in a child's life each day is the reward. She elicits joy from helping "students to really believe that they can read, write, or do math if they will just put their mind to it." The Manila PTA celebrates this amazing teacher!

Though I have never been one to care about awards or personal recognition this was truly an honor for me because my love for my students was recognized. There is a lot of things I don't do well...but loving and teaching children is something I take great pride in!

STRAWBERRY JAM -- YUM YUM!!

Who says that straight men can't be domesticated?? The first year of marriage to Tommy I saw one of the most odd things I had ever seen. On a trip to Las Vegas to visit Tommy's family in April, I saw Tommy's dad making strawberry jam. Yeah, a man making jam! Well, to make a long story short, making strawberry jam is a tradition every April in Tommy's family. So, of course we just had to join in and make our own. That's what we did, and yes I said We --Tommy made as much as I did, and he's actually pretty good at it.

Last year was our first run at it and it turned out pretty good. However, we didn't make a whole lot because we were to scared that it might not turn out. This year we went crazy! We made a ton of strawberry jam and we make it good! Our freezer is full and we're already looking forward to next year. So, if you want to taste some of the best homemade jam this side of the Mississippi River, give us a call!!