Mrs. Gary's Bucket List Dream Come True!

In the spring of 2016, I discovered Donors Choose, an organization that "(connects) the public to public schools." Through this incredible initiative, I have received a plethora of books, classroom supplies, and technology.

In April of 2018, while enjoying my first spring break as a Southside Shark, I opened my email to learn that the company Ripple had sponsored #BestSchoolDay by funding every single project on the Donors Choose site. Ripple fulfilled 35,647 requests from 28,210 teachers at 16,561 public schools by donating over $29 million. One of those requests was mine.

On a whim, I had posted one of my "Bucket List" dreams: to attend the Ron Clark Academy. On May 7 and 8 of 2018, I realized that dream.

To say that I was invigorated and rejuvenated as an educator would be an understatement. Ron Clark, Kim Bearden, and their team of educators and staff members have managed to create the Disney World of teaching, and it is an opportunity every teacher deserves to experience. Teachers need to see what is happening at the Ron Clark Academy to understand the potential inside of every child that they teach. Perhaps more importantly, however, teachers need to experience the Ron Clark Academy to realize the potential inside of themselves.