Jaycee Remembers Mrs. Ray

I grew up in a small town, and during my childhood, I never traveled far from home. I didn’t think too much about the world beyond my backyard until I encountered Mrs. Ray, my sixth grade social studies teacher. Early in the semester, she put us in small groups and assigned each group a country. Each week, one of the groups would teach the rest of the class about their country.

My group was given Italy. We created a bulletin board with a historical timeline and major landmarks. Teaching our classmates some words and phrases in Italian was both challenging and fun. Our parents even helped us provide some Italian desserts (cannoli, napoleon, and tiramisu).

I looked forward to learning about a new country every week. Collecting travel brochures and dreaming about the places I wanted to visit became my favorite hobby. I’ve been to a dozen countries now, and I love experiencing other cultures. I am forever grateful to Mrs. Ray for showing me there is a big world to explore.

I hope Jaycee’s story helped you see how much your work matters.

Julie

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