Joyce LaCelle

Educator Appreciation Alert: Joyce LaCelle was the music teacher at Pine Forest. I was in her Mixed Chorus, Vocal Ensemble and Music Theory classes. That's a lot of time to spend with someone. It was worth it. Ms. LaCelle had the gift of music, to my benefit she had the gift of how to impart that joy of music through teaching. I was a music freak anyway but my time with her provided the insight as to why music affected me. Why and how music did what it did. Why music was important. Why music needed to be shared. There were never any discipline issues in her class. None. Nada. Nyet. Nil.

Yes she was a great teacher. She became a great friend. We could hang out with her. It wasn't unusual for 2 or 3 of use to drop by her place. She always welcomed us in and would sit and talk with us as equals. In 1969, 70 and 71 having an adult who you could interact with as a peer was important.

#TeacherAppreciationWeek #JoyceLaCelle #ThankAnEducator

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🍎 As we are wrapping up Teacher Appreciation Week, we want to celebrate all the hard work teachers put in to ensure students succeed! You all are true pillars that keep education alive and ensure the future of STEM lives on. We hope you guys are having an awesome day!✨️

We strongly encourage students to send a quick "thank you" email to your favorite teachers to show your appreciation!

#TeacherAppreciationWeek #Iteachmath #TeacherRock #STEMeducation

Educator Appreciation Alert: Thank you Charles Stanton for teaching me to appreciate Bob Dylan & Dylan Thomas. Though I never had your class you were always interested in what I was doing. (Probably also WHY I was doing what I was doing.)

Chuck's image is from my 1971 HS annual along with his "signing" in it. He was a genuine character. When he used his signature stamp and made that slightly off center cross he told me that represented his slight imperfection in comparison to Christ. (He'd likely be fired today for doing that) Came to see me perform in the local production of "Dracula". I played Harker when I was 17.

Thank you Mr. Stanton for being a such positive influence.

#TeacherAppreciationWeek #ThankAnEducator

Educator Appreciation Alert: Say hello to Larry Wheeler. Mr. Wheeler was one of my 8th grade teachers at Sunnyside in Vander, NC. My experience with him made ME want to be a teacher. He was funny, sarcastic, cynical, compassionate and a gifted educator.

My grandparents moved to Murchison Rd. that summer and I attended Pine Forest HS in the fall. When I arrived that first day there was Mr. Wheeler greeting students. He was now going to teach Civics and US History.

I was in one of his classes senior year and he made the experience fun and enjoyable as he had when I was his student in the 8th grade. Yes he was funny but he didn't play around. His humor was a mechanism to teaching. His class wasn't easy by any means and it was enjoyable. I was challenged and I benefited greatly.

I looked forward to his class every day. Because I knew it was going to be fun, it just happened to provide me with some knowledge along the way. I know he taught me a lot about US History. He taught me even more about being a smart ass. I am thankful for both those gifts. Gifts that I benefit from every day.

Regrettably Larry passed away in 2023. Fortunately I had the opportunity to share with him the impact he had on my life. Thanks for everything Mr. Wheeler.

#TeacherAppreciationWeek #LarryWheeler

Thank you, Teachers 🍎

#TeacherAppreciationWeek

I've been lucky to have some incredible teachers, but my 6th grade teacher, Mr. Bamrick, stands out above the rest.

He taught me two things that shaped my life:

✏️ How to speak with confidence
✏️ How to believe in myself

We stayed in touch over the years through visits and video chats. He passed away in the fall of 2023, and I'm thinking of him today.

Grateful for him, and for all the teachers who empower their students.

#TeacherAppreciationWeek

Educator Appreciation Alert: This is Mrs. Horton. She was my Freshman and Sophomore English teacher. Our Freshman year we read "Huckleberry Finn" and "Great Expectations" out loud in class. Apparently Mrs. Horton saw something in me when I read my assigned parts. In the spring of 1968 she wanted to talk to me after class. She told me about the summer workshop conducted by Pat Reese at the Fayetteville Little Theatre and suggested that I might be interested in participating.

So I did.

That summer exposed me to a whole new world to explore. First of all there was Pat Reese, a recovering alcoholic and co-founder of the Myrover-Reese Home in Cumberland County. He was a writer for the Fayetteville Observer and a single parent. And he loved the theatre. He led me on a path of discovery that changed my life.

#TeacherAppreciationWeek #ThankAnEducator

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