Dear Friends,
Take a moment and think of a teacher who made a profound impact on you. Perhaps they supported you in a particularly challenging time, or helped you learn something about yourself that changed the trajectory of your life. For me, that teacher is Mrs. Chen. I started fifth grade terrified of going to school and crying each morning, knowing that I was behind in reading. Mrs. Chen recognized my struggle. She set me up in the library every day so I could read books at my own level instead of staring at the pages of books in the classroom I just couldn’t understand, and this special time in the school library helped me discover my genuine love of reading. Mrs. Chen knew I also needed a tutor and worked with my mom to find the right one. The tutoring support, alongside my passion to access the amazing stories in that library, made all the difference. I eventually caught up to grade level and was able to go back to Mrs. Chen’s classroom brimming with confidence. By the end of the school year, I was no longer afraid to come to school because of the anxiety around being behind; I was happily learning alongside my classmates, knowing I fit in.
You may have not known Mrs. Chen, but undoubtedly there was a teacher, counselor, or administrator who challenged you, nurtured your curiosity, or taught you how to see something in yourself that inspires you still today. Or perhaps it is your child’s experience, or something you have participated in as a friend, volunteer or educator yourself… it is these life-changing moments of insight and learning unfolding in public school classrooms daily that we invite you to celebrate.
Excited to join us? Here’s how you can get involved:
- Grab a piece of paper (or use our template here), write down why you’re public school proud, take a photo of yourself holding it, post it on social media and tag #SFPSProud and #SFEdFund.
- Create a ~30 second video of why you’re Public School Proud, and use hashtag #SFPSProud and #SFEdFund and post to your social media
- Email the photo or video to us at SFPSProud@sfedfund.org and we may potentially share it!
- Volunteer: Join a team of caring adults who are supporting students in a meaningful way.
- Donate to the Ed Fund to increase student access to high quality tutoring, grants for teachers, funding for student initiatives and more!
April is Public Schools Month and there’s no better time to share why we’re public school proud… please join us!
In Community,
Stacey Wang
