Hallmarks of Love

A friend who teaches first grade told me a Valentine's tale of love and devotion that goes beyond the Hallmark variety—though Hallmark, actually, was involved.

Her school is located in an area of Montgomery County, Maryland, that has a large immigrant population, a high percentage of students receiving free and reduced-price meals, and many children who don't speak English. Sitting in on her class, I've seen her maneuver through an array of situations that we tend to file under "cultural diversity," such as explaining to adult family members how U.S. libraries can be a resource for books to read to your child.

When February 14 rolled around a couple of years ago, most kids were familiar enough with the holiday and brought in the drugstore-variety perforated valentines. But to her dismay, my friend saw that one child had brought in expensive, individual valentines, one for her and one for each child in the class. His parents, it seemed, wanted him to participate in this celebration so badly that they spent a lot more money than they needed to, and may have had.

Parents love their kids. Rich or poor, educated or not, the vast majority of parents love their kids and would do so much to ensure their happiness and success. Educators love their students. In districts that are rich or poor, schools that are high achieving or low performing (and how that's defined nowadays is up for grabs), educators embrace their work because they love kids. Take a look at Arnold Gundersen, a nuclear engineer who's now a Vermont math teacher ("For the Love of Kids,"). And soak in the energy of Lucille Decker, now in her 60th year of teaching, who says, "First grade is my first love."

We here at NEA Today relish these kinds of love stories, the heart of what makes education soar. (It does make us wonder: Parents love their kids and educators love their students, so why does education funding fall so short? Something to take to heart during this election year.) Thank you for writing in with stories about you or your colleagues. Readers have asked me to clarify how to contact us here at the magazine. You can address letters to me or any of the fabulous editors listed below at 1201 16th Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20036. Our fax number is 202-822-7206. And you can send e-mail to neatoday@nea.org. Happy Valentine's Day. We love telling the world your story.

Editor-in-Chief Leona Hiraoka