The blog has had a few posts about Vivian Connell (see here and here and here,) who left teaching in North Carolina to go to law school; graduated with honors, then learned she had ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and only a few years to live.
Vivian has returned to teaching and decided that she wanted to make her time count. She started a fund to take a class of 32 children to the U. S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in D.C.
Vivian was trying to raise $20,000. She met her goal and then some. Thanks to all who sent a gift to this wonderful project.
I received the following email from Vivian:
Diane,
We made it and then some!
An angel donor funded the balance of all the basics, and we are receiving a couple of thousand more that we will put toward “treats” – perhaps souvenirs, ice cream and T-shirts?
Moreover, I received an unbelievable honor today: as a result of this project and all of the publicity, a local donor/supporter of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum contacted the director, and she has invited me to be her guest next week at the museum’s events to commemorate the Day of Remembrance. I am just gobsmacked.
I owe you so much-your blog started it all, and every article quoted your kind words.
I can’t wait to welcome you to Raleigh next year for NPE2015, and I plan to make more waves for our causes before then!
Love and respect,
Vivian
If you have to go early, go making positive changes in the world. Congratulations of Vivian’s success. I have been to the Holocaust Museum and there is no way those children won’t be changed by it.
I am working on a doctoral research project inspired by Diane’s book, Death and Life of the Great American School System (2011). If the public school system–as many of us knew it, at least–is dead or near death, it would stand to reason that public school teachers who remember the system as it was prior to No Child Left Behind (2002) have experienced loss and grief. If you remember what it was like to teach prior to No Child Left Behind, if you feel as if teaching completely changed when No Child Left Behind was implemented, or if you ever felt saddened by some of the changes that resulted from educational reform, then you may be interested in taking my survey.
Professional Loss and Grief in Teachers (a survey)
https://ndstate.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_5nCLnPAFadWZX93