National Teacher Appreciation Day

Educators play a critical role in educating and shaping our children, the future leaders of our country. They are kind, patient, hard-working, dedicated, understanding professionals that mold lives in a positive direction and have the power to change those lives forever! 

We can find educators in classrooms, homeschools, roadschools, worldschools, preschools, daycares and afterschool programs!

In honor of  those special people that spend time nurturing our greatest resource,

I have a set of bookmarks to share called

The Starfish Story Bookmark. 

 This poem was given to me many years ago, along with a starfish pin, by a very special person. They truly made me feel like I was making a difference! I still have the pin!

THE STARFISH POEM
by Loren Eiseley
Once upon a time there was a wise man
who used to go to the ocean
to do his writing.
He had a habit of walking on the beach
before he began his work.
One day he was walking along the shore.
As he looked down the beach,
he saw a human
figure moving like a dancer.
He smiled to himself to think
of someone who would dance to the day.
So he began to walk faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he saw
that it was a young man
and the young man wasn't dancing,
but instead he was reaching
down to the shore, picking up something
and very gently throwing it
into the ocean.
As he got closer he called out,
"Good morning! What are you doing?"
The young man paused,
looked up and replied,
"Throwing starfish in the ocean."
"I guess I should have asked,
why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?"
"The sun is up and the tide is going out.
And if I don't throw them in they'll die."
"But, young man, don't you realize that
there are miles and miles of beach
and starfish all along it.
You can't possibly make a difference!"
The young man listened politely.
Then bent down, picked up another starfish
and threw it into the sea,
past the breaking waves and said-
"It made a difference for that one.“
 You make a difference!

 National Teacher Appreciation Day, also known as National Teacher Day, is celebrated on Tuesday of the first full week in May. This day is part of Teacher Appreciation Week which is the first full week in May of each year.