Jan not only helps when I have a dilemma, she prods me to do more. She challenged me to step outside my classroom into the world of my school, and then, when I'd done that, pushed me again to work district-wide. She knows teachers are here for all students, not just the ones in our classrooms.
Because of Jan, I've started taking student teachers again, I run a writer's workshop for teachers (teachers who write), I teach classes for the whole district. She has helped me see my wonderful students as more than the kids who come into my classroom daily; they are members of humanity who learned a lot before they got to me and will carry my teaching into their life journey. I am responsible for more than computation; I am responsible for attitude toward math. Jan helped me understand that I owe the people in my classroom the best of me.
I've only met Jan once in "real life," but she inspires me daily.
Thanks for sharing...both of you!