All Hail The Queen

"The Queen" held court today and I was lucky enough to be in attendance. I have worked with dayle timmons my entire teaching career and boy do I feel lucky. We have teased her by calling her The Queen ever since she was selected as Florida's Teacher of the Year in 2004, but really, she is. She makes teaching look positively effortless when we all know it is anything but. As I watched her have a book talk with her first graders while I read the introduction to the Kevin Henkes author study she has written and rewritten, I was moved to tears. How blessed we have all been to have spent time talking, thinking, writing and learning with her. My one regret is that that time is becoming shorter as she plans retirement in the next couple years. I was shocked to find out later she was nervous, just like every other teacher is when they are being observed. I'm not sure why I was surprised - dayle is a teacher's teacher and I'm glad I've had 20 years as her student.