August 23, 2022 — Teacher Tara Zenoz has thanked me at least a dozen times now, when I was simply trying to thank her!

Before flying home to New Jersey to welcome her first graders to school, Tara came by my home office last week. She’d been about the same age as her students are now when we first met here on Miami Beach 20 years ago. Tara, her mother, and grandparents — all career educators — spend every summer filling back up again here at the shore.

Saying that I admire and appreciate how she gives of herself and her own income to purchase what’s needed for her classroom, I’d invited Tara to come grab whatever she might use from my closet filled with card samples and office supplies. Her big brown eyes opened wide at the sight of so many things she could “definitely put to good use” and, on behalf of her students, she eagerly accepted hundreds of cards, scores of fun stickers, staples, colorful gift bags, and even boxes of laminating sheets.

Ha! She looked about like our meowza cat, her imagination racing with project ideas for her kiddos. “I can create sets of cards for matching games,” she began brainstorming, “and we can practice reading aloud, and I’ll have the kids make up little stories about what’s happening in the card photos.” I’d never seen anyone go wild for laminating sheets before but, “You don’t understand!” she laughingly exclaimed.

“With laminating sheets, I can make scarce teaching materials last longer and go so much farther!” she said. As for the array of ribbon left over from mailings Hannlis made to her favorite Cardies, “You have no idea!”

You’ve likely seen the same news reports we have about the teacher shortage. According to a National Center for Education Statistics survey, 94% of public school teachers have to spend their own money to purchase needed classroom supplies. Adoptaclassroom.org estimates that, last year alone, the average out-of-pocket that teachers spent was $750, not counting the cost of personal protective equipment and cleaning products.

Later the same evening that Tara was here, my great new next-door neighbor popped in. Liza Greenberg is a longtime friend, Contributing Cardie, and tenured college professor. I told her how bittersweet it was to see a teacher so excited about things I will not use and for which she has such a need. And I said I’d like to write a Cardie Newsletter proposing that we thank teachers for, well, first of all, showing up!

“Showing up is what it’s all about,” Liza said, and almost to herself added, “first and foremost, for yourself.” Sensing she was teaching right then and there if I was open to learning, I gave this wise one a look that said “please go on.” Liza began to beautifully explain how she tries to be there for herself in order to maintain the sense of calm that makes her a top-rated professor.

“Tonight and every night,” she began, “I pack lunch and decide what I’m wearing the next day so those tasks won’t take up precious time in the morning. I like to be in bed by nine so I can be up by five, then light some candles, play soothing music and meditate before I have breakfast then a good sunrise swim in the sea.” Maybe it was seeing the pure admiration on my face that prompted her to explain her mindful practice, “That all helps me be relaxed, refreshed, and fully present for my students when my first class starts at eight.”

It’s so clear that teachers like Liza and Tara don’t do it for the money, or the praise, and certainly not for the short, easy workdays. So I’m wondering, what if every Cardie in this community were to carve out a few minutes to sit and write a warm Thank You! to teachers you know? And perhaps send one to your local school principal’s office, too, in hopes of acknowledging the teachers there also. Here at the start of another challenging year, what if we all kindly let teachers know from the get-go that we see and appreciate them, and admire all they do?

To make it even more satisfying for you to dash off these notes, Cardthartic will kick in one set of boxed notes of your choice FREE with any purchase through August 28, 2022. Just use promo code: THANKS at cardthartic.com checkout. And, hey, we’d love to think you will go even farther and donate the $12 you will save on those notecards to adoptaclassroom.org. 😇

UPS will come get the two big boxes destined for Tara’s classroom, and in my freezer there will always be a mini loaf of homemade banana bread earmarked for Professor Greenberg. What good is admiring someone without letting them know, eh?!

Jodee Stevens
Founder & Chief Creative

August 23, 2022 — Teacher Tara Zenoz has thanked me at least a dozen times now, when I was simply trying to thank her!

Before flying home to New Jersey to welcome her first graders to school, Tara came by my home office last week. She’d been about the same age as her students are now when we first met here on Miami Beach 20 years ago. Tara, her mother, and grandparents — all career educators — spend every summer filling back up again here at the shore.

Saying that I admire and appreciate how she gives of herself and her own income to purchase what’s needed for her classroom, I’d invited Tara to come grab whatever she might use from my closet filled with card samples and office supplies. Her big brown eyes opened wide at the sight of so many things she could “definitely put to good use” and, on behalf of her students, she eagerly accepted hundreds of cards, scores of fun stickers, staples, colorful gift bags, and even boxes of laminating sheets.

Ha! She looked about like our meowza cat, her imagination racing with project ideas for her kiddos. “I can create sets of cards for matching games,” she began brainstorming, “and we can practice reading aloud, and I’ll have the kids make up little stories about what’s happening in the card photos.” I’d never seen anyone go wild for laminating sheets before but, “You don’t understand!” she laughingly exclaimed.

“With laminating sheets, I can make scarce teaching materials last longer and go so much farther!” she said. As for the array of ribbon left over from mailings Hannlis made to her favorite Cardies, “You have no idea!”

You’ve likely seen the same news reports we have about the teacher shortage. According to a National Center for Education Statistics survey, 94% of public school teachers have to spend their own money to purchase needed classroom supplies. Adoptaclassroom.org estimates that, last year alone, the average out-of-pocket that teachers spent was $750, not counting the cost of personal protective equipment and cleaning products.

Later the same evening that Tara was here, my great new next-door neighbor popped in. Liza Greenberg is a longtime friend, Contributing Cardie, and tenured college professor. I told her how bittersweet it was to see a teacher so excited about things I will not use and for which she has such a need. And I said I’d like to write a Cardie Newsletter proposing that we thank teachers for, well, first of all, showing up!

“Showing up is what it’s all about,” Liza said, and almost to herself added, “first and foremost, for yourself.” Sensing she was teaching right then and there if I was open to learning, I gave this wise one a look that said “please go on.” Liza began to beautifully explain how she tries to be there for herself in order to maintain the sense of calm that makes her a top-rated professor.

“Tonight and every night,” she began, “I pack lunch and decide what I’m wearing the next day so those tasks won’t take up precious time in the morning. I like to be in bed by nine so I can be up by five, then light some candles, play soothing music and meditate before I have breakfast then a good sunrise swim in the sea.” Maybe it was seeing the pure admiration on my face that prompted her to explain her mindful practice, “That all helps me be relaxed, refreshed, and fully present for my students when my first class starts at eight.”

It’s so clear that teachers like Liza and Tara don’t do it for the money, or the praise, and certainly not for the short, easy workdays. So I’m wondering, what if every Cardie in this community were to carve out a few minutes to sit and write a warm Thank You! to teachers you know? And perhaps send one to your local school principal’s office, too, in hopes of acknowledging the teachers there also. Here at the start of another challenging year, what if we all kindly let teachers know from the get-go that we see and appreciate them, and admire all they do?

To make it even more satisfying for you to dash off these notes, Cardthartic will kick in one set of boxed notes of your choice FREE with any purchase through August 28, 2022. Just use promo code: THANKS at cardthartic.com checkout. And, hey, we’d love to think you will go even farther and donate the $12 you will save on those notecards to adoptaclassroom.org. 😇

UPS will come get the two big boxes destined for Tara’s classroom, and in my freezer there will always be a mini loaf of homemade banana bread earmarked for Professor Greenberg. What good is admiring someone without letting them know, eh?!

Jodee Stevens
Founder & Chief Creative