Graduation

Todd graduated from high school. He was number 5 in his class behind the 4 valedictorians 3.9gpa. So proud of him. I remember a teacher in his 4th grade class named Mrs. Dearen. She told me one day, "oh, don't worry, he isn't gifted." And another time Todd had to take a test on a Harry Potter book he'd read that had not come out at the movies yet, and she had accused him of not reading it. She even called him a liar when he told her he had read it..then he took the computerized test and he had a perfect score. When he was little he was in Speech from preschool until he was exited at the end of third grade. He had teachers that didn't believe in him and some great ones that did. Mrs. Mortensen was a turning point teacher for Todd. It was the year after his super rude, no faith in Todd teacher Mrs. Dearen, and his self esteem was pretty low. Then she helped Todd get really excited about reading and math. She so believed in him and saw him for so much more than mrs. fancy pants. In the next 2 years, Todd's reading level skyrocketed, and he had the highest math scores in the 6th grade. Mrs Ledek was also very instrumental in boosting his self esteem in performing in school. Of course we worked at home through all the years, but great teachers made all the difference. In kindergarten and first grade, Todd had a great start with a very kind teacher named Mrs. Nelson. Those first years were so hard with his speech delays, and she helped him feel normal and accepted. On Halloween, a couple years later, he took her her favorite, Hershey's kisses. So proud of Todd and all he had to do, and so appreciative to his excellent teachers in our public school system!