NV Schools Board member shares on the importance of teachers

Hello, I am Cheryl Thornton, parent and community member since 1978 and school board member for the past 22 years.

I want you to know how important teachers are to help inspire, guide and shape our students. Teachers are the inspiration to those students like Les Brown, one of the world’s foremost motivational speakers and thought leaders on self-improvement and goal setting. Les was a struggling student from the get-go and labeled educationally mentally handicapped. Because of a teacher that told him not to accept anyone else’s description of him he overcame his struggles. 

Then there is Emily Blunt, a Golden Globe-nominated film and stage actress. However, between the ages of 7 and 14 she developed a crippling stutter that had her struggling to even hold a simple conversation. Because of a teacher that coaxed her to take acting lessons, she has become successful in her career and a board member for the American Institute for Stuttering.  

There is Maya Angelou, powerful poet and civil rights activist. At a very young age she was forced to endure intense physical and emotional abuse at the hands of a family member. As a result, she became mute for nearly five years. It all changed one day with the help of a family friend, a teacher named Bertha Flowers. Angelou credited Mrs. Flowers for helping her find her own voice again.

And there is Bill Gates. When Bill attended Seattle’s View Ridge Elementary, he was a typical nerdy fourth-grade introvert who always did his best to keep to himself. Thanks to a kindly librarian he was able to come into his own in a way that would one day change the world forever.

I want to thank you for your support of all of our teachers and school district staff who work with all our students every day to help them fulfill their goals and dreams in life. I know that our students are in the best hands of our community of learning.

As school board members we are your voice so please don’t hesitate to contact your school board representative with any questions and inspiring stories of teachers in our community. We love to hear from you!