The following letter was provided by Food for Learning
Mr. Shaw, my 9th grade History teacher, and Mr. Ruhnke, my 10th grade French teacher, are two people that have had a profound impact on my life.
Yes, they were great teachers who encouraged me to expand my mind and helped to excite me about learning, but more importantly, they gave me a sense that I belonged at school and had a future worth being excited about. They saw my strengths, they acknowledged what I was good at, and they made me feel that I had true value.
They were kind. They made me feel safe, and they made me feel cared for.
I would love to tell you that I had a magical childhood – but my reality was much like many of my students. I was born in Brampton, Ontario in a low-income family. It was a tumultuous upbringing, filled with a great deal of fear, uncertainty, and difficulty.
For me, school was my safe place. It was my security. It was the place that I felt cared for, and it was the place where I found peace.
My childhood may not be like yours, but I am guessing if you paused for a moment, you too would vividly be able to recall your favourite teachers. I bet that you would be able to recall in a profound way exactly how those teachers made you feel.
After graduating high school, I was fortunate enough to attend the University of Guelph, and until my early thirties, I followed a career path in the private sector. But then, as many of us do, I found myself wanting more out of life.
As I reflected on my past and came back to memories of my teachers, I once again became thankful for a public school system and teachers that literally saved my life. It was in that moment that I decided that teaching was where I was meant to be.
Today, I aspire to give to students even a fraction of what was given to me in school. As a new teacher I quickly learned that to reach kids, to build an environment that they can learn and thrive in, we first must create an environment that cares for them.
That’s where the community comes in! Because of donations, our schools have the Food for Learning program – a breakfast, lunch or snack program where students come not only to fill their bellies with nutritious food, but also a place where they make friends, warm their hearts and truly feel safe and cared for.
York River Public School in Bancroft, where I now teach, isn’t unique. We are like every public school in Hastings and Prince Edward – we rely on the generosity of donations for the Food for Learning program to ensure that students are nourished while at school, so they are ready to learn.
Another invaluable program that generous donors 100% fund is the Student Emergency Fund. Donor support, and this program, allows me as a teacher to see a need that a student or their family has – and react immediately.
Whether it is new shoes, food for home, medications, transportation, or clothes – donations answer urgent needs for students so they can work, learn and grow.
I know they may not sit in a classroom with me each day, but I want people to know that their donations create a presence that is sincerely felt every single day in schools.
Last year, donations allowed The Learning Foundation to invest $75,000 in new technology in schools and in the classroom. For York River Public School, that meant purchasing laptop computers for the classrooms. These laptops mean students have access to technology that many do not have at home. For students, technology is needed to learn the skills required for their future success, to be able to flourish first in school and then in the workforce.
Never ask if people are making a difference by donating to The Learning Foundation – they are the difference for students!
Donations help schools to support students who through no fault of their own are living in poverty, living with food insecurity, living in situations where physical and emotional wellbeing is a struggle, or dealing with unforeseen emergencies. They allow us to provide much needed stability for students in school, and in life. This generosity allows us to address the unmet physical and emotional needs of our students so that we have a better chance to help them learn.
This holiday season I hope that, like me, people take the time to reflect on the impact they are having on others. I hope they feel a strong sense of pride when they think of the donations they make to any charity, but specifically to The Learning Foundation and the direct effect that they are having on students.
From the bottom of my heart, I thank every donor for standing next to me each day in the classroom. Generous donations really are “Making Futures Bright” for local students.
Sincerely,
Taras Humen
Teacher & Vice Principal, York River Public School
