Distinguished Teacher Mona Beller

Stand back, watch, and listen to your students. They are your curriculum: your job is to teach to their learning style. All students want to succeed and feel welcome. Our job as teachers is to create an environment where all students come to school feeling they matter, have worth, and can contribute.

The BEST thing about teaching is the gift you receive from making that connection with a student and/or a parent. When you know that what you do makes a difference in the world, then you wake up every morning and walk into your classroom and know that, "Today I am going to awaken a thought or inspire an idea." More "bests"...When you are filled with gratitude because the lessons you have spent time on are learned. When a parent thanks you for your help and appreciates YOU for the work you do. The BEST thing about teaching is the joy of teaching my students and learning from them. I am a teacher and a student. There is an added BONUS to teaching that happens when, years later, you run into parents and students and they remember you and thank you for being the BEST teacher their child ever had. That's when you smile because it reaffirms that you did make a difference in someone's life. That's when you are reminded, "A job well done!"