Make a Difference to Children Giveaway!

Activities Blog ImageJuly is a month every teacher deserves to celebrate with great enthusiasm! Yes, it’s summer vacation for most teachers, and that’s an awesome reason to celebrate. But here’s another first-rate reason for every teacher to celebrate: July is National Make a Difference to Children Month. I’d like you to stop in your tracks right now and consider the number of children you have positively impacted through your teaching, your family, and your community. It’s pretty darn amazing, isn’t it? I thank you (and applaud you!) for making a difference in so many young lives—and so does every member of The Mailbox family!

 The goal of National Make a Difference to Children Month is to encourage everyone to find ways to make a positive difference in the lives of children. It’s not difficult, really. When I think of the adults who have made a positive difference in my life, I remember those who spent quality time with me. My Uncle Denny tops my list. He taught me how to clean a fish, play solitaire, and sloooowly back away from a moose. He entertained my endless “What if?” questions and gave me the nickname Knute. My joyful childhood memories inspire me to make a difference in the lives of other children.

So what about you? How did someone make a difference in your childhood? Share a joyful childhood memory right here at the blog before midnight EDT July 31, 2014, and you’ll be entered in our Make a Difference to Children Giveaway. Two winners will be announced August 1. Each winner receives a free book from The Mailbox!

Eager to hear from you!

Diane

# BeTheDifference

Congratulations to Peg and Mary, the winners of our Make a Difference to Children Giveaway!


31 thoughts on “Make a Difference to Children Giveaway!

  1. When I was a child, I remember visiting my grandparents and cousins in a remote country setting. We shared watermelon and laughs. Extended family made a difference in my life because they showed me how to slow down and enjoy the simple things in life. Nowadays, our lives are packed with busy and hectic schedules that pull us in all different directions. Back then, life was slow and simple, but truly genuine. Watermelon was sweet and the conversations sincere. The good old days with family was sensational!

  2. My beloved Mrs Regetz my second grade teacher who taught to love books. And my Mom for all the trips to the library

  3. I was extremely shy throughout my childhood, but there was one teacher I remember who encouraged me to be me. She was my third teacher and in her class I slowly became more outgoing and talkative.

  4. In second grade, I had a teacher who was the opposite of inspiring to me at the time. But when I became a teacher, she was the example of what I never want to be to my students. I listen carefully and respect the individuals in my classroom, things I never felt from my second grade teacher.

  5. My mom made the biggest impact on my life.
    She encouraged me to be a special ed teacher.
    She was a pediatric nurse. She had a gift.
    She knew I had a gift, too. She loved to hear about my work.
    I miss her now, but so glad my work makes me think about her.

  6. My mother inspired me to become a teacher. Her students loved her At 79 she still volunteers in my classroom and my students love her!

  7. My sister. Although we grew up in a unhappy home filled with bitterness and hate, she tried over and over again to buffer me from the violence, think of ideas we could do etc Most if not all my childhood memories are with her.

  8. Actually it was the principal of my Elementary School who saw how “talkative” I was, and decided to effectively channel this energy of mine by sending me around the school to present the daily morning announcements in front of the different grades in the school. Little did she know that she gave me the confidence to both sing and act on stage, and to become a Spanish Teacher (which involves a lot of acting to effectively teach in the target language)

  9. My aunt Janet was a teacher for many, many years. She always encouraged me to be the best whatever I could be. When I changed my major to education, she opened up her classroom and files for me to look over, work in, and learn from. She was a great aunt, but even a better mentor!

  10. An elementary school teacher who total believed in me even though I might not have believed in myself. She motivated me and showed me that I had a talent for mathematics and today I am a math teacher. 🙂

  11. My 3rd grade teacher inspired me o become a teacher. He had us draw and write what we would like to be when we grew up and mailed it to us after we graduated. I still have that letter and it pushed me down the path I am on. I love my job and all my kids!

  12. My elementary school librarian inspired me to read- always finding books that would interest and challenge me. The love of books that he encouraged has stayed with me- and I am so thankful for that gift.

  13. When I was a young child I LOVED to read but i HATED taking baths. They seemed like SUCH a waste of time to me! (Don’t worry – by the ripe old age of 31 I have since changed my mind . . . . ) To get me into the tub my mom told me I could take a book into the tub, lean back, and take a nice long soak while reading a good book. From that day forward I decided that bath time was my favorite time; I would spend HOURS in the tub, frequently adding hot water to reheat my bath. To this very day I always make sure I have a book handy when it’s time to get “so fresh and so clean!” Needless to say, I am a VERY clean person and the majority of my at-home reading takes place in my bathtub! 🙂 THANKS MOM!

  14. My Art Teacher back in England inspired me to be the artist i always wanted to be. It was only when he retired and i had attended art college at the age of 32 to get my BA Hons Degree that i was able to thank him and tell him he was my inspiration. Our art lessons were full of great music Pink Floyd and encouragement so to Jim Bailey in Cornwall England i owe you great gratitude. I became a teacher not only for a private boys school but latterly helping special needs and people with mental health issues. Good teachers inspire!

  15. My family emigrated to the United States when I was five years old. The month was August and school started about 3 weeks later. Needless to say, I didn’t know any English. My kindergarten teacher took me under her wing and helped me with a challenging transition. This helped nurture a positive feeling about school. Thank you Mrs. Novak!

  16. My 7th grade teacher, Ms. Lannan, taught us all the saying, “If you don’t have anything nice to say then don’t say anything at all!” Bullying was her pet peeve and she stood up to the mean girls. I remember I admired her so much for that.

  17. My parents always encouraged me in school and truly valued the importance of an education. My 7th grade teacher was such an influential person in my life. I really credit her with me making my decision to become an educator. She always saw the best in me and always encouraged me. She is still in my life today, telling me often how proud she is of me for making a difference in the lives of the children!

  18. My mom gave me a love for books at a very young age. I never finished kindergarten because we moved to a town that didn’t offer it. Because my mother read book after book to me in the months before first grade, I entered first grade reading. In my 20 years of teaching, I have been able to share this love of literature with children from toddler to high school.

  19. Some of my best memories are around the summers spent with my Gramma learning to sew, reading books, taking the el in Chicago, taking walks and going home to show my family the new outfits/ensembles I’d created with Gramma.

  20. My dad was my principal for six years (from Kindergarten to fifth grade). He was tough on me at school but when at home would explain his reasoning. He wanted me to succeed. He knew I would be treated differently by the other kids and by some teachers. He was right! My dad has been my rock and number one fan since day one. Now it’s my turn to support him. He had a stoke awhile back and is not the man I remember. It’s hard for me because my support system is gone and he was my main connection to being a teacher. He is a shell of the man I remember growing up. I can’t go to him when I need advice. I still try but don’t get very far. My dad is my inspiration to be the very best educator I can be.

  21. Every summer as a young girl my mother and I would catch the bus and go to the library in downtown Atlanta. The library was a magical place for me with rows and rows of books just waiting to be discovered. I would have a reading list of at least twenty books that I would have completed before school started. This tradition was carried on with my daughters when they were young and continued on with my grand children. During winter break I asked my four year old grand daughter what she would like to do today. She quickly replied “go to the library and get a book you can read to me, Grammy.” What a wonderful legacy my mother left!

  22. When I was 5yrs old I had my tonsils removed. My kindergarten teacher had all my classmates make me get well cards and she came to my house and brought them to me and sat with me and read books with me. I still remember how special I felt to be cared about so much by my teacher. She is the reason I became an educator. I wanted all my students to feel special and cared for.

  23. My first and second grade teachers both encouraged me to read. My first grade teacher gave me a reading poster for the summer and told me to see how many books that I could read. My second grade teacher praised me when I brought it back. I stii remember how many books I read that summer.

  24. My dad read bedtime stories to me and opened a world of imagination. It inspired and fostered my love for reading.

  25. My father taught me to think for myself and helped me to develop my free will. He was a kind , caring man who put others before himself and find the best in all situations. I try my best to be like him everyday. It is difficult in this time of teacher blaming

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