The Messinger Came....

and his MESSAGE was received.

It was a true honor to host the Student Teaching celebration last night at the Wien Experimental Theater of the Quick Center at Fairfield University. The applause given to the 75 teachers in attendance was well received, especially during Teacher Appreciation Week and the culmination of coursework, fieldwork, supervision, and mentorship.

We were extremely fortunate, too, to have Blaise Messinger, Connecticut Teacher of the Year, in attendance to give 30-minutes of wisdom to our graduate students finishing their 12-week placements. His acting, writing, and producing background has made him a one-of-a-kind HERO

in the State and it was easy to see why. He teaches with heart, knowledge, experience, and hope.

The event brought the Fairfield community together and I was proud to work with my colleague, Dr. Marsha Alibrandi, to organize the food, the location, the program, and the guest speakers. Every rose distributed last night was deserved and the location, at the Wien Theater, was perfect for our audience.

My only disappointment in the evening was that I failed to tie my new bow tie correctly (yes, I bought two more because I found them for less than $2 at Kohls). I will master them, I promise.

With that declared, I loved having the emcee responsibility to keep the evening going and to be one of the first to give two snaps (finger snap, finger snap) and a round of applause to all those involved in making student teachers successful.