We’ll Be Giving Out Ms. Amy Hugs For The Rest Of Our Lives

By Ken Burdette

Principal, Park Hill Elementary

On Wednesday, Feb. 8, Park Hill Elementary School Principal Ken Burdette welcomed hundreds of students, former students, parents, colleagues, family and friends of Amy Maes to a bubble ceremony behind the school honoring and celebrating the beloved kindergarten teacher. These were his opening remarks.

In the words of Ms. Amy: Catch a Bubble.

When a teacher wants to get the attention of the class, or remind students to walk silently in the hallways, a teacher sometimes says, “Catch a Bubble.” (If you have a bubble in your mouth, you can’t talk.)

This was one of Amy’s favorite ways to get the attention of the class and remind them of expectations. So please, in the words of Ms. Amy, let’s Catch a Bubble.

It is with love and community that I welcome you here.

Wow, this is tough. Never thought I’d be here talking with you today.

We are here to remember and honor the life of Ms. Amy Maes. Amy was a pillar in our Park Hill lives. She touched each and every one of us in our own unique and individual ways. She would so often go way out of her way to meet the needs of all of her students. Whether it was a hug, a kind word, or a simple smile — Amy was truly a ray of sunshine and love in all of our lives.

Amy spent the last 24 years teaching kindergarten and first grade at Park Hill Elementary. As a colleague shared the other day, 99 percent of Amy’s life was Park Hill. She loved this school and loved this community, she loved the people. This was her home. She was the first teacher to so many of you — always creating a safe and welcome environment for her kiddos.

Over the past few days, every resounding message has been one of LOVE. Students felt the LOVE, parents felt the LOVE, colleagues felt the LOVE. This showed in the class, in the school, and in the Park Hill community.

We were in the staff lounge yesterday sharing some memories. One of her colleagues said, through a few tears: Amy taught us that education is not just about books and reading. Not just mathematical equations. Education is about warmth and love; it’s about kindness and belonging. And that’s what Amy brought each and every day.

Every student was valued, appreciated, and loved for who they were.

Every student knew a hug was coming their way. On Monday, one of the students in her class — a 5-year old student — said, quote, “I’m going to give out Ms. Amy hugs for the rest of my life.”

Were there times where I wished for more academic rigor, maybe a little more structure in the daily schedule? Sure. That is my role as the principal. But I don’t regret for a second the joy, the love, the passion that Amy brought to her classroom daily. Amy was wonderful. She was a light for her students. And she was absolutely loved … by all of us.

Parents, you knew that a kind word or two was coming about your kid every time you talked with Ms. Amy, even if it was a tough conversation. You knew it would be surrounded front end, back end, by kind words and loving words about your kid.

Those of you who had Ms. Amy, whether it was last year, two years ago, five years ago, 20 years ago. You’re in the audience right now. As an alum of her classroom, you knew you were always welcome back at any time for a hug or a hello.

She taught us to enjoy each moment.

She taught us to laugh. To smile. Even, taught us to sing karaoke. Not well, sometimes.

She taught us to cheer as a good friend.

In the end, Amy will be remembered for her smile, her laughter, and her positive attitude. She will be remembered for the Love she gave and the Love she received.  She will be missed by all, but will never be forgotten. Her spirit will always be alive in our hearts and in our community.

 

Share Your Memories

Are you a former or current student, a colleague or close friend who would like to share a memory about Ms. Amy Maes? Perhaps it’s a highlight of the impact she had on your life or on what you learned from her, or a story about something you shared or will always remember about her. We’re collecting anecdotes to share in an upcoming issue. Please keep submissions to 150 words or less, and email them to editor@graterparkhill.org. The deadline is March 15.

 

Timeless Advice From Ms. Amy

On Teaching Tiny Techies: Put The Cell Phone Down And Back Away Slowly

By Amy Maes

For the GPHN

Wait! Did you hear that, the lure of that signal … telling you that someone in your life is sending you a message, a message that might heed a reply, a lure too tempting to ignore…

This is a too-familiar scene for me. I have woven responding to a text into my life as though it’s as important as making lunch for my children. Another temptation that our ready-made entertainment tech presents is that easy quick-fix when we put a tablet or iPhone into our toddler’s hands in order to entertain them so that we can complete a task at hand.

When I’m not an at-home mom in the summer, I’m a full-time elementary school teacher and have been teaching, passionately, for the past 19 years right here in Park Hill. I have been thinking a lot lately about the lure of all of our tech gadgets and how the *magic* of these might have affected our children’s learning styles. Attention spans of my students seem to have shrunk considerably since the explosion of tech conveniences.

Studies have proven that too much screen time for young children can wire their brains in such a way that actually works against the process of learning to read.

According to Jim Taylor a Ph. D and specialist in the psychology of parenting, too much screen time and not enough time reading, playing games (not the online kind) and good old-fashioned imaginary play may result in your children having their brains wired in such a way that can work against them while focus and attention in school is their ticket to learning.

While our schools are striving to bring the best teaching technology into your children’s learning experiences, the importance of engaging in learning and the focus on fundamentals of reading is not all done on a screen. Students must have the capacity to focus on the teachers’ instruction and be able to connect to the written page without the distraction of on-line pop-ups.

The next time you take your little one for a walk around the block or over to Turtle Park, consider leaving those techy tools at home and just go for some old fashioned give-and-take. Thanks for listening!

This column originally ran in the July, 2014 issue of the newspaper. Amy Maes was an occasional contributor writing about education topics, including the 2019 DPS strike and the surreality of teaching 5-year-olds online during the pandemic.