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Why were Stephanie Vigil and Dan Kleckner of KHQ News at Lakeside High School? To name Mr. Dan Nord as Teacher of the Month. At a secretive all school assembly on Tuesday, February 6th, the news anchors, along with Dr. Les Portner of Eastern Washington University, presented Mr. Nord with this great honor. Each month EWU receives many letters nominating a teacher; a Lakeside senior nominated Mr Nord, the school’s music teacher/band director. In her letter she stated, “Since he (Mr. Nord) has become the teacher, the band has grown from about 45 to 60, which is amazing in a school as small as ours. There is a very positive and expectant feeling among the band students and also their parents. Everyone comes to class expecting to work hard. I honestly have no idea how he does it, but there is something he does that just makes us want to get better. We are playing music today that there is no way we would have been able to play three years ago and sounding much better then we ever have. I am disappointed that I will only get to work with him for two years. “Not only is he an amazing band teacher, but he is also a really great guy. You can just tell by the way he teaches and interacts with the students that he is a genuine person and really cares about our futures. Yes, he is a serious teacher and makes us work hard, but we have jokes with him as a band, and he knows when to have fun. Pep Band is the best and most fun that I have had since I started playing in it in the 8th grade, and I know that is true for many others as well.” Mr. Nord’s expertise and caring have reached all of his students. Mr. Mark St.Clair, Lakeside’s principal, shared that no more than an hour before the assembly, he received an e-mail from a parent praising Mr. Nord. The parent wrote, “My son took Music in the Digital World with Mr. Nord this last semester. Feeling completely overwhelmed and wanting to change out of a class that was totally foreign to him, Mr. Nord walked him through it and built a confidence in him that is amazing. We were very impressed with his patience. Mr. Nord is a very thoughtful teacher.” A bit overwhelmed at the assembly, Mr. Nord later commented, “This award, a tremendous honor, represents a connection I’ve made with one student. After reading her letter, it became apparent to me that she was describing her deep appreciation for the job I do and more importantly, how I’ve done it. If I would have had time to prepare my speech for the student body I would have said, ‘We all have jobs to do (their jobs happen to be students right now), and everyday we get to choose how we do that job. Do we do it with everything we’ve got? Do we do the minimum to pass? Do we simply believe that it is easier to opt out and not try at all? “ ‘It’s the beginning of the second semester, and we all have a choice on how hard we’re willing to work. Students who haven’t done well, or haven’t applied themselves in the past now have the opportunity to start over. It takes a lot of discipline and hard work to be successful, and we all can work hard. The letter did not disregard the fun we have in band either…it simply stated that the fun can still be there after the discipline and hard work. Just because you’re working hard doesn’t mean that you’re not having fun. I encourage and challenge all of the students at Lakeside to become their own version of ‘Teacher of the Month’ whether they get recognized for it or not.’ ” |
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