"As a first year teacher in the classroom - yet someone who has worked with kids and families in different ways - you touched on many emotions today. It is good for us to reflect on our journey through teaching. We are all here for one reason - to make the lives of children better. I have found myself feeling like I was ready to throw the towel in...but I know I can do this!" Linda Weerts - 4th grade teacher

"The performances were entertaining and a nice change from the usual inservices." Sara Passman - 5th grade teacher

"The presentation was uplifting, motivational, and just what I needed to reaffirm to myself the critical importance of what I do as an educator and the long-term affect of my life's work." Patricia Smith-Morgan

"Dana, you did a fantastic job. This presentation was exactly what we needed at this point in the year. Faculty members are under pressure and stress, and you've reminded them of why they're here in the first place." Donna Heady - Instructional Coach

Reflections

Dana Downs

My objective is to emphasize to educators the importance of reflective teaching. I perform monologues by teachers that have inspirational stories to share. I recently had the opportunity to perform and present to a group of elementary teachers in the Kansas City, Kansas school district. Here are a few of the comments teachers made:

"This presentation was a lot of fun to watch and delivered a great message. It encouraged me to stay positive and really value teaching on a day-to-day basis. It helped me realize all of the 'little things' teaching brings to my life and how those little thing out way the 'not so positive' things." Jennifer Storey - Kindergarten

"I enjoyed listening and reflecting on the performance pieces. As a first year teacher, it was refreshing to hear stories about others that feel overwhelmed. It helped me feel even more proud to be a teacher." McKenzie Charlton - Kindergarten