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I substituted on Friday and one student told me how much he had enjoyed having me as a teacher all day long... that really made my day!!

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On Monday my mom had a pot of coffee ready for me when I got home from work. She knows me well. :)

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As I get older I often find that I don't have as much time to foster my personal friendships as much as I would like.  With my wedding fast approaching, my best girls have come together to plan a bachelorette weekend just for me in Savannah and everything has been kept a surprise.  I feel so special!  It's so encouraging to know that even if I can't keep up with my friends always, they are still right by my side and we can always pick right back up where we left off.

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My children left notes on the refrigerator telling me how proud they are of me for going back to school.

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Kristin Villanueva               After interviewing at UNCC to apply for my doctorate, my dad sent me a text telling me how proud he was of me.  I replied that I hadn't been accepted yet and his response was "I'm proud of you for having the courage to try."

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Kristin Villanueva               After interviewing at UNCC to apply for my doctorate, my dad sent me a text telling me how proud he was of me.  I replied that I hadn't been accepted yet and his response was "I'm proud of you for having the courage to try."

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I received a note from a former student I had during student teaching last year. It said how much he learned from me and how I "taught him everything" in 2nd grade. Not only was this a marble jar moment but also a frame-worthy moment.

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We have been modeling sharing and picking up.  The kids started helping me pick up the yoga mats, blankets, and pillows without being asked.  They are asking their classmates if they can share their toys.  Their classmates will hand them a toy and say yes.  This is a huge accomplishment for our class!!

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True Relationship Building with Students, Staff, and Parents!

#StrongerTogether

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Although my job is based in fostering creativity in my students, I have been struggling with my own creativity and my own artwork outside of school. Over the weekend, I went and bought the biggest canvas I could and have started working on a painting that I am really proud of! I had turned away from painting for a long time because of the lack of confidence I had in it but my leap of faith has been leaving me feeling awesome!

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My brother surprised my mom and I by changing the oil in both of our cars while we were out shopping!

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I got an unexpected anonymous note that truly encouraged me.

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I got an unexpected anonymous note that truly encouraged me.

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I just got a note from one of my students saying how much she loves me:)

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Making everyone excited about reading with our BOGO fair. :-)

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One of my 2nd Grade students was very low in English at the beginning of the year  and has been working hard at home and in LLI.  She is now on grade level and I am so proud of her!

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After having a quiet, shy, not much interaction with the teacher student for 8 months, (I wasn't sure she even liked me) has now bloomed and opened up to me, asking questions and asking for help (from me) and having gained confidence she didn't have earlier is a major marble jar moment.

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My moment was this past weekend, both of my girls (9th and 10th grade) have part time jobs for first time.  They went out and got the jobs on their own motivation (we have never said that they need to work - as of yet).  They both told me that they were taking me to brunch on Mother’s Day and they were paying.  When we got to brunch they also had their best friends there who refer to me as their “second mom”.  What an amazing surprise and day!

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My brother and I helped my parents cut down trees in their yard all last weekend because they can't do it by themselves anymore. Afterwards, my parents thanked both of us and told us "we make a great team, we work very well together, and we're happy to have you both as our kids."

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A student in my class who I have had been working on with behavior, has had a great week. It was hard for him to read for a long period because he started to play with his friends or do other things that were distracting, but he totally changed this attitude. Now, he put first things first and he enjoys reading books. It seems he forgot everything around him when he has a book in his hands. I sent an email to his parents to let them know about this amazing change. We are so proud of him.

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My son went to town and bought me flowers on his own to surprise me.

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A student was practicing a word list recently, attempting to the use the words in sentences to practice a specific sound pattern.  One of the words on the list was "admire."
As we were reviewing the words and thinking about how to use them he looked up at me and said, "I admire you."  It warmed my heart and really highlighted how much influence we can have on the students we teach, beyond the subject matter.

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One of my fifth grade classes has become a family this year.  They look for each other, they support each other, and they kind of move in a pack.  It's almost a little eerie but last week during music we had to stop working on their promotion song because half the class was in tears.  They said "Miss Vickers, this song makes us sad because we don't want to leave you and we don't want to leave our school."  And this is why I do what I do.

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A student in my class who seemed to have extreme social anxiety at the beginning and middle of the year came running in through the crowd for the K-1 concert and left his mom and dad standing in the foyer. He also is one of the most outgoing students in the classroom now. He is always raising his hand to answer questions and read to the class!

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My son graduated from UNCW over the weekend and is now home before he starts med. school. It was so nice to celebrate him with friends and family.

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A student who I have had been working with regularly with behavior, had a great day yesterday. I didn't want to jinx it so waited until the end of the day to celebrate... when we got to his bus he gave me the biggest hug and told me it was worth behaving to see how excited I got for him and only him. Heart melted.

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I use the story about the boy and starfish throughout the year with my class. We talk about how kindness and making a can be simple acts and they don’t have to be huge grand gestures. So it warmed my heart when a parent said thanking for making a difference for my child. I’ve seen him grow so much in his school work and confidence. Which make what we do everyday so worthwhile.

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I use the story about the boy and starfish throughout the year with my class. We talk about how kindness and making a can be simple acts and they don’t have to be huge grand gestures. So it warmed my heart when a parent said thanking for making a difference for my child. I’ve seen him grow so much in his school work and confidence. Which make what we do everyday so worthwhile.

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I have a student who has struggled with reading and writing this year, yesterday she brought in a book that she wrote at home and asked to read it to the class as our read aloud for the day! Her smile said it all!

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When writing about what we want to be when we grow up, one student called out “I want to be a teacher, just like you!”

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My grade level team not only supports our classrooms experiences,  but also gives support for personal life experiences ups and downs. Our team has had many changes with deaths and children  issues at home.  We celebrate and cry together.

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My daughter graduated college over the weekend with a Masters in Biology. She moved back home until she goes back in fall for her Doctorate in OT. I love having her home and having some "girl" time.

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My students have been so kind and thoughtful while thinking about how we can support our friend who's mother passed away.  Their sweet cards have said things like, "I'm here for you," "I'll give you hugs when you need them," "You're my best friend," and "You're like a brother to me."

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I have a student this year that has come out of her shell so much and she loves to talk and I love seeing how much she enjoys school and our classroom. In the beginning of the year, her mom emailed me to let me know that her daughter loved coming to class and having me as a teacher and just recently she asked me if I was going to 3rd grade with them to the new building!
#relationshipsmatter

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One of my students has NEVER missed a day saying, "You're the best teacher ever!" I pulled her aside when I returned from a long illness and told her how much that meant to me and how much I had missed it while I was away. We all need daily encouragement, no matter the age!

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For the second school year, our class had a guest speaker on Friday and the students really responded well to his visit and enjoyed the project they worked on with him. More than than, HE was impressed by my students' quality of work. Each year we have been able to add more and build on our project and this is something we both look forward to working on for years to come.

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The other day, a student who struggles regularly (making Ds and Fs) brought me her reading assignment to check...she made an A all on her own!

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While my husband and I have been getting our yard summer ready, we have been spending a lot of time together doing yard work. One day Brandon made the comment, "I have loved doing yard work and spending time together." It made my heart happy.

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My wife was out of town for two days helping her parents and grandmother. My daughters said they were happy Mom was coming home but also sad that "Daddy Daughter" time would be over.

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A friend from back home sent me the most thoughtful gift of a framed picture of my dad along with scripture and a small note. #relationshipsmatter #eventhose400milesaway

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A student saw me tying shoes that belonged to his classmate.  He turned around and said “best teacher ever!” We live in the small things!

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Recently a parent corrected a misconception on social media after a couple of other parents posted negative comments about the new school names.
#BetterTogether
#RelationshipsMatter