The Star Polisher  

I have a great job in the universe of occupations.

What do I do? I'm a "star polisher."

It's a very important job. If you want to know how important,

just go out at night and look at the stars twinkling and sparkling.

You see, I'm a teacher, an educator, and mentor.

The stars are the children in my class.

My job is to take them in whatever shape they come,

And shine and buff them and then send them out

to take their places as bright twinkling beacons in the sky.

They come into my room in all different shapes and sizes.

Sometimes they're bent, tarnished, dirty, crinkly, or broken.

Some stars are cuddly and soft.

Some are prickly and thorny.

As I buff and polish, I train and teach my little stars;

I tell them that the world cannot do without them.

Each night as I look at the sky,

I'm reminded of my very important job

and awesome responsibility.

Then I get my soft buffing cloth

and my bottle of polish

in preparation for tomorrow

...for my class of little stars.

                                               -Leah Becks

And now a little about me........

I have been a teacher in the Barnstable Public Schools for thirty-one years, twenty-eight of those years were at Osterville Elementary and this is my fourth year at West Villages Elementary (my loyalty runs very deep).

I am also the mother of four children, Nana to six, and have five grand-dogs. And..... to be honest teaching is my passion and my grandchildren are just the "lights" of my life.  There is nothing more near or dear to my heart than Sebastian, Dillon, MJ, Bella, Lucas, and my Zoe!

                            

                             

I won't bore you with any other details of my life other than to say that you are so lucky to be part of the Barnstable Public Schools (especially West Villages Elementary, remember my loyalty runs deep!)  Why??? My mother retired from teaching all of her career from Hyannis West Elementary, I attended and graduated from BHS (I will not state the date!)  All four of my children were educated, K-12, in the Barnstable public Schools. My youngest went on in education and is in her fourth year of teaching in the Cambridge Public School System, (and loving it). I am proud to say we have three generations of dedicated teachers.  My other children are also out in the working world as an Executive Assistant  Manager of the new Walgreens in Mashpee, a Vet Tech., and a Registered Nurse in NC (I am not too happy about that as three of my grandchildren are in NC), but moving back to the Cape very soon.  I am so very proud of my children and their accomplishments, and will be proud of your children and their accomplishments.  Barnstable Public School System has been very good to my family and will now be educating my grandchildren.