Skip to main content

Words of Others...


From the poster I was awarded at the Leading with the Heart celebration:

     When you think of someone Leading with the Heart, you might ask, “What does that mean?” and “What does that look like in the life of a person?” Our Mandie Victor, a seventh and eighth grade Language Arts teacher at Benson Middle School, lives her life with her heart as her guide. She loves our students, even those she doesn’t teach. She gives up her planning period every day to work with students who need academic as well as personal support.
    
     There is no better way to describe her than through the heartfelt words of one of her students, written to her and about her. “You’re a powerful woman. With an open heart, you’re phenomenal at what you do. You’re beautiful inside and out. You’re a loving mother, a loving teacher, and a loving person. Everything you do helps lead people into doing good. You never have anything bad to say. You always have a big smile on your face. You’re very energetic with us. You put smiles on everybody’s faces. You make people feel good about themselves even when they are having the worst day ever. You’re a dependable, hardworking worman that can conquer anything you want in life. Everything about you is pure gold. You’re just flat out AMAZING!”
 
     Benson Middle School is proud to name Mandie Victor as the Benson Middle school 2010-2011 Leading with the Heart Award recipient.

Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 15, 2011 at 1:02 PM

    WOW MANDIE. WHAT AN HONOR. YOU MUST FEEL SO PROUD. TAKE CARE. LOVE YOU. MARGUERITE

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Hardest One Yet

 From the time I began this blog, I made the conscious choice that I would be honest and open in the moment – whatever is going on. For the most part, I have done that.  After struggling about whether to write about this particular challenge (let alone share it), I chose to do the uncomfortable and do both – write and share. “Your certification has not even been processed yet. Probably won’t happen until at least the middle of January.”  I took a deep breath as I heard those words a couple weeks ago and I realized what that meant. Christmas would look very different than originally planned. The retroactive pay that Santa was counting on to make the holiday something special for our family would not be coming. I took a deep breath as I hung up the phone and walked out of my classroom, despair bombarding the hope and excitement of the upcoming holiday. A tornado of thoughts began whirling in my head as I walked to the guidance office. Playing with our budget in my head trying to
7 comments
Read more

The Next Chapter Begins...

The first round of tears happened during the 8 th grade promotion. It has been such a wonderful year with all of them – 7 th and 8 th graders alike. The second round of tears came when I learned I do not have a contract for next year. I will not be returning to Benson Middle School unless the displaced teachers do not jump at the chance for my classroom.   Right after she told me, I did my best to remain professional and keep the tears at bay. Unfortunately, they came anyway. About the time the tears hit my eyes, an email a dear friend sent me when I first wrote about the contract situation came to mind: “There is always a reason for things. Maybe God wants you to move on and inspire other students.” I love what she says. I feel that with my whole being. However, it did not make hearing that I have no job any easier. So now what? I am floating off the edge again. My family began the year in two different states. We are reunited again in North Carolina. Both Tony and I with
7 comments
Read more

Aging sucks.....or does it?

Upon first thought, watching a parent age sucks. Unnoticeable at first. A bit of a stoop, some creaking in the knees, whitening of the hair. The doctor’s visits begin, as do the pills One for high blood pressure, another to thin the blood, and a handful of vitamins to top it off. The signs are there, but it is easier to see him as he has always been. My father, a pillar of strength. Until my pillar was knocked off-kilter. A simple surgery and the mortality of my father looked me square in the eye when the drugs took hold of his brain. Amidst his fidgeting and confusion, I realized…AGING SUCKS! And then….enlightenment dawned upon me….AGING IS BEAUTIFUL Wrinkles tell of smiles while silver hair speaks a life of memories. Knees creaky after years of kneeling in prayer, offering up a lap, and climbing up the stairs for one more kiss goodnight. Almost forty-eight years of memories nestled in my heart. Memories of my father. Taking us to church each Sunday Building and fixing
2 comments
Read more