Today was, indeed, a special day in Room 205 where Ms. Schwartzhoff and her first grade students were surprised by a few guests from our community.Members from the OfficeMax located in Savage, as a part of the "A Day Made Better" Program, interrupted an important mathematics lesson to celebrate and recognize Helen Schwartzhoff for all that she contributes to the MWS Learning Community. The "A Day Made Better" Program is a nationwide program in which employees from various OfficeMax stores around the country honor 1000 teachers selected from applications completed on behalf of these individuals.
Below is an excerpt from the application completed on behalf of Helen Schwartzhoff last spring:
"Ms. Schwartzhoff is a dedicated teacher who pours her heart as well as her soul into everything she does for each one of her students in first grade at Marion W. Savage Elementary School. Students love the creative learning experiences Ms. Schwartzhoff provides and the passion with which such activities are presented. Ms. Schwartzhoff is a genuine advocate for her students and families,and continually demonstrates that she is an integral part to our learning community."
"Ms. Shorts-Off", as one of her former students wrote on an envelope to her last year in an attempt to accurately spell her last name, was given $1000 of classroom supplies by OfficeMax as a gift to honor her dedication and support learning in her classroom. A new leather desk chair was wheeled into the room with a bouquet of fresh seasonal flowers, a new bulletin board, and an enormous box filled with everything from a digital camera to whiteboard markers to paper clips. "Look, boys and girls!" Ms. Schwartzhoff exclaimed. "Rubber bands!" First graders cheered as this statement was made and they quickly worked to to pull supplies out of the box to their glee and delight.
As the staff from OfficeMax exited Room 205, Luis, a tiny first grader, asked, "Is this my dream?" indicating that he sincerely could not believe what was happening.
"No Luis," I replied. "This is not a dream."
Luis then responded, "This is a dream come true!"
