This week has been designated as teacher appreciation week, so I wanted to spread some love to the great teachers I know.

First of all, my wife Natalie is a great English language arts teacher, which has never been more evident than in the past few weeks as she’s worked to transition to an online learning environment that is still welcoming and supportive for her students.

My oldest son has great teachers at Cleona Elementary School. Mrs. Fuddy and Mrs. Zechman have both gone above and beyond in supporting his growth as a student and a person. And Mr. Brophy’s gym/health class is one of his favorites too.

Finally, I owe a debt to the many incredible teachers who’ve had to put up with me over the years. Without a doubt, I’ll miss some here–otherwise, this note would be many pages long. But I do want to give a special shout out to Brian Smith, Penny Hammrich, Liz Haslam, Aroutis Foster, Mike Arnzen, Lee Tobin McClain, Tom Lipinsky, Mike Moffett, Jimmie Lee, and Mrs. Wells (in first grade, we didn’t know the teachers’ first names). They all worked with me across formal and informal educational settings, and I wouldn’t be the person I am today without them. (So, if you don’t like me, blame them!)