My friend Kathy never ceases to amaze me. Just when I think there are no mountains left for her to climb, she finds one, and she conquers it. Actually no, Kathy obliterates it.
And usually she has Tate right at her side, ready to make sure she gets where she needs to go and get there safely.
Her latest mountain? Keynote speaker at the 2024 National Teacher Leadership Conference in Denver, Colorado. (NNSTOY stands for "National Network of State Teachers of the Year.")
This is a huge conference, and the teachers attending were all past and current Teachers of the Year in their respective states. That includes Kathy - she was Indiana Teacher of the Year in 2015 and then also named Final Four National Teacher of the Year in 2015. (In other words, one of the four best teachers in the United States.)
Her keynote address was so powerful, a friend texted me afterward and said that Kathy had received a ten minute standing ovation when she finished. This friend also shared that, unknown to Kathy, Dr. Scott Hanback, the Superintendent of the Tippecanoe School Corporation and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Dan Allison had flown out to Denver together and were in the audience while she spoke and were there to congratulate her when she finished.
Kathy, me, Allyson Anthrop, and guide Nacho after we co-taught together one day.
Well done, my friend. When I was still in the classroom, I looked up to you as a role model and hoped to teach some day at the level you did.
And now that I am retired, I am still learning from you.
