Today's recipient is well timed.

Monday, May 3 - Friday, May 7 is Teacher Appreciation Week and of course the end of the year is drawing near in schools around the country.  It seems fitting, therefore, that the House of Shine should use this week's Yellow Envelope Project to recognize a teacher who exemplifies what it means to shine.

Here is what our nominator had to say about Laura.

"Laura is a pre-school teacher in the Brownsburg Community School System.  She teaches special needs students that are already testing behind their peers at 3 and 4 years old.  Her class is tailored for students that have speech and language delays for varying reasons.  My son has been in her class this year.  The thing that impresses me most about Mrs. Lehman is her dedication to the success of her students.  She spends a lot of time working with each student individually to cater to their strengths.  She uses those strengths to help them grow and develop.  As a parent I feel like I have a partner in my son's education.  That is something that is becoming more and more rare these days.  She comes to us not with complaints and problems.  She comes to us with observations and options for solutions.  She really feels ownership of these children.  I am more grateful to her than I can adequately express in words.  She really deserves to be recognized."

Laura deserves to be recognized for a couple of reasons.  First, she is the relentlessly passionate educator that we reference in our Shine Manifesto.  It seems that, at Laura's core, she believes in the potential of each and every student with whom she works.  Laura refuses to see their special need as a deficit and is singularly focused on helping her children and their families be successful.  

The second thing that stands out to me about Laura is her innate ability to Bring Out the Best In Others (Shine Principle #6).  Her nominator made it clear that Laura looks for the individual strengths of each student and then employs those strengths to help each student realize his own potential.  If ever there were a recipe for shining, that would be it!

We could ALL take a page out of Laura's lesson plan!

Please join me in celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week by helping to flood Laura's mailbox with Shine.  If you are new to the game, the task is small, but the pay-off is BIG.

Write a short note to Laura letting her know you heard about the difference she makes in the lives of her students and their families.  Thank Laura for her hard work and for doing what she can to brighten her corner of the world.  Seal your note in a yellow envelope (or a white envelope decorated with yellow markers) and place the words, "Yellow Envelope Project" in the return address.  Mail your ray of sunshine to the address listed below, sometime early in the week.  We want Laura to get her mail before next Saturday when we gather again to recognize another worthy recipient.

One more note: Our letters are going to Laura's school instead of her home address.  Let's be Relentlessly Passionate about making Laura the talk of the teacher's lounge.  Contact everyone you know and try getting them to join in.  And, how about mailing your note in an envelope that is bigger than normal, sending it in something that has a funky shape, or covering the outside of her envelope with fun quotes and sketches that will draw lots of attention?

Do something fun, do something creative, but most of all... DO IT!

Shining off until Monday...