Many of our personal heroes are our teachers.
We meet so many of them in our entire lifetime. From kindergarten to college, our teachers made an impact on who we have become. Of course, there are those we’re not fond of. But some made a mark in us one way or another.
Our teachers don’t have to make the most extensive effort to create a huge impact.
A simple ‘hi’ or asking us ‘how are you’ shows that teachers have deep-seated care and concern for their students. It may seem so simple to others, but these little acts of kindness are those that leave a mark on those kids forever.
We’re sure that Miss Katie Doyle Meucci has this kind of impact on her students.
Katie is a teacher at Benjamin Franklin Elementary School at Bethel Park School District. She teaches fourth grade and is all out for her love of reading.
In fact, she created the closed Facebook group called Franklin Bedtime Stories.
The group aims to create this sense of community among friends and students as they read a bedtime story to the kids. Katie is one of the primary readers in the group, and she loved doing so, even if it’s just via live stream.
However, around early October, she learned that she had a brain tumor.
She had to undergo surgery to remove the tumor before it got worse. This would mean she might miss a reading date, but she had something else in mind. She brought with her a book!
People were amazed how Katie was able to read a bedtime story after her surgery.
She did so because she wanted the kids to know that she was fine and that the doctors did a fantastic job removing the tumor. She also reminded the kids of her motto, which is ‘strong and brave.’ Katie definitely showed them that.
The book she read that night was Mr. Walker Steps Out by Lisa Graff.
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The book is all about Mr. Walker, the human figure in the pedestrian lightbox that tells people when it is safe to cross the street. However, he steps out of his usual place to explore what he had been missing all his life. At the end of his adventure, Mr. Walker realized that the role that he felt was so small meant a lot to people after all.
Katie somehow related her situation to this story.
She told the kids that at times, people like Mr. Walker and her need to be somewhere else that they’re not used to – in her case, the hospital. However, like Mr. Walker, she assured the kids that she would be back in her little corner, reading bedtime stories again.
She also used the story to remind the kids that they, too, have essential roles in their little corner.
“You are an important part of our school community. You are an important part of our world. You are loved. And I just want you to know that I love you. And I miss you. And I know you’re going to have a great day tomorrow.”
She also reminded each of them to be ‘strong and brave.’
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