Giving back through books
This week was Teacher Appreciation Week, and what better way to showcase our teachers than with an article about still giving back to our youth even after leaving the classroom.
Last year, I saw a Facebook post from a former Purdue house sister who was a teacher and had an idea about getting sponsors to help give books to students throughout the school year. A sponsor would donate $9 for a student to receive a free $1 book each month at school through Scholastic Book Club. This would help promote the love of reading and the love of books.
I decided to see if she could get a sponsor for each of her students in her classroom. What she found was an abundance of community members, former teachers and former students of hers that were willing to sponsor a student.
Even with the abundance of donations, she was still short in her sponsorships to be able to complete her goal of getting a free book each month for both elementary schools within the school corporation. Then a North Putnam graduate reached out and wanted to partner with me in this idea.
Jamie Patrick Jost, who is alumni of North Putnam and now lives in Colorado, wanted to partner with me and make up the difference to fulfill the amount needed to make sure all students in grades K-5 had a sponsor.
Mrs. Jost wanted to do this to recognize and honor her mother, Linda Patrick Grimes, who taught in the North Putnam corporation for 42 years. Mrs. Patrick, as her former students know her, has influenced many students as a teacher and most recently as a golf coach.
Mrs. Jost said she wanted to give back to the community to honor her mother for all her years of service, and to give back to the community that helped her with achieving all her success.
The influence of a teacher is always prevalent for years in the life of students even after leaving the classroom. Teachers continue to make a difference in the world around us. So this week, I hope you thanked a teacher who has made an impact on you or has made a positive impact on your child.
I would like to thank all the community members, former teachers, former students, Mrs. Linda Patrick Grimes and Jamie Patrick Jost for sponsoring students so that they may find the love of reading.