Teachers.Net asked posters on the main chatboard:

Has something you've read here had a specific impact upon your life - personal or professional?

• changed the way I speak to students because Jan and Ginny sent me their book and I read it and absorbed some of the advice.
• bought a Ped Egg and use it and my feet and heels no longer crack
• use a whole load of new reading strategies taught to me by Debbie-Ann and Lit
• have adapted my classroom management strategies based on a long post from a former (much missed) poster who had a fabulous discipline plan, which is still requested by new posters today and referred to many times by older ones
• have included an American Films unit in my Film Studies course because I have such a rich resource in my TNet buddies :o)

Posted by Chloe
I love this board because it helps keep me connected with real teachers--I'm not one anymore and I miss it sometimes.

Posted by Grace/IL
Thanks to this board, I've met, in person, wonderful teachers across the length and breadth of this nation and from coast to coast, in Oregon, California, Texas, Florida, Virginia, and in many other inland states. I have great respect and love for every one of them.

Like another poster, I wish I'd had this kind of resource before I retired from teaching.

Posted by NBCT
I have learned a lot, and have become aware that there are a lot of people out there who think differently from the way I do, and at the same time, I have found lots of comfort in the fact that there are lots and lots of people out there that think a lot like I do. People like randan2 have helped a lot by always seeming so calm and factual when answering. I like that stability.

Posted by Paulie
On this board I…

• enjoy listening to Banjo Phil's songs from the CD's I bought from him (I sure miss his posting)
• get to enjoy the history of Lavaca, Arkansas that Jack James wrote/compiled
• belong to a powerful prayer chain where Bananas is custodian of requests and is faithful about sending them out to the group
• learned to stamp cards from Donna with her advice and generosity and encouragement in getting me started
• got more encouragement and new ideas and supplies from Ronda for card making
• found new ideas to teach Kindergarten and was able to share some of my own
• met others who enjoy photography as much as I do
• got encouragement and gave encouragement when needed for teaching and dealing with school problems
• learned to take time for myself so that I could do my best as a teacher too
• had some great discussions with guests during scheduled chats
• made some friends that I might not have had an opportunity to meet otherwise because of distance apart; actually met some in person
• Got some great recipes to try out
• Learned of websites to make giant snowflakes and other neat stuff
• Kept up with daily news from Tnetters who live in "disaster" zones: tornadoes, 9/11 area, flooding, etc. Reports of large snowfalls too! Ü
• Got help with my computer problems from Greg and Neal
• Found support for losing weight with other Tnetters
• A Tnetter helped me make my first website which is still up and running and from that experience, I was able to make an online portfolio.
• It was a Tnetter that told me about blogging and I haven't stopped! I still go to JenMcB's blog to read and comment.
• I am sure there are many more things to be thankful for since Tnet became a part of my life two months after it appeared. But that's a good start.
• By coming HERE, I found out about the rest of the boards and was a part of them for a long time while teaching and occasionally drop by a few still. This board has been my best friend since I got my first computer.

Posted by Elaine/ret/IN
This board has helped me…

…stretch my teaching skills: literature circles, Cornell note-taking, 30-second interrupted book report, using quotations in my classroom.

…find good friends, one of whom who I e-mail every day and have met several times.

…read March, Water for Elephants, and Thirteenth Tale, among many others.

And I have benefited from the wisdom of many wise ones . . . Thanks! Elaine.

Posted by Jan
Thanks to this board:

• I have met many new friends who have enriched my life tremendously. Many I have met personally and that has been terrific. Others are strictly by email, but we share so much that I can hardly believe I've never actually seen them. One I met my first year on this board. She no longer posts here but we keep in close contact by email. We exchange pictures. I've 'watched' her family grow up and seen a grandchild born who is now starting school. She's sent my granddaughter books; I've sent the same to her. It really is a treasured friendship. SOMEDAY I'm going to meet her; she lives in Connecticut so it's a bit of a trip, but we'll do it.
• I've heard about some wonderful books which I've bought and read and loved. I take the recommendations seriously because I know they'll be good ones.
• I have received so many vital bits of information. If I have a question about anything, I post it on this board and within 5 minutes, I have answers. It's amazing. A few years ago when I posted a question about 150 of my husband’s letters and was wondering what to do with them, I got fabulous advice. One poster, Aggie, even emailed me about a bookbinder in our area who did the work and did it beautifully. These books are a treasure to both my daughters and me.
• I have had the best professional development I've ever had in my life from my buddies on the professional reading chatboard. They have both inspired and challenged me and I owe them my life. Many in that group have met....had a 3-day reunion once. Not only are they smart, but they are fun!
• I have had sensational advice about the computer, the iPod, the GPS....everything I own in the world of technology. This is the very best place to come for help in this area.
• And, last but not least, I no longer have an unemployed daughter!

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