Teachers deserve appreciation any time of the year, but especially now.
My sister-in-law is a middle school teacher and she says spring can be challenging. When the weather starts to get warm and the end of the year comes into sight, keeping the kids’ attention is so much more difficult.
I’m so grateful that we have teachers and other school employees who care enough to see beyond the seasonal disruptions and really make a difference in students’ lives.
Around here, we call them LifeChangers. They’re the reason we sponsor the LifeChanger of the Year program, which recognizes excellence among teachers around the country.
This year more than 600 educators were nominated and we recently awarded the grand prize at a ceremony in Hawaii.
The winner was Mike McEachern, known at Hargrave High School in Huffman, Texas, as Coach Mac. Coach Mac started a program called BAM, for Becoming a Man. It helps young men who may not have a male role in their lives.
We try to make sure that our winners get the royal treatment, so we treated Coach Mac and the two runners-up to the trip to Hawaii for the awards.
His thank you note to Mallorie Manosh, the LifeChanger program manager, says a lot about him. Here’s what he said:
Now that my feet have touched the ground and the jet lag has worn off, I want to say THANK YOU again. The week that we were rewarded with in Maui will never be forgotten. You and National Life Group are top notch and deserve the best. I was flabbergasted at how warm and inviting the employees of the company were to my wife and I before, during and after the banquet. When you were talking about just how important the company was to you and how high their morals, values, and ethics are second to none, I thought “here we go”. You were true to your word, they really are genuine in all of their concerns and idealistic way of operating. Whether we won or lost that evening it was a pleasure to be a part of the activities of such a group/company that values their employees in such a way that they truly feel important. … Again, thank you for everything!
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