My Emmy Acceptance speech

First of all... I want to give it up to the Man upstairs and also to the fans.. I couldn't do what I do without my fans.

OK, seriously, I have some people to thank and a few things to say about my journey thus far.

One year ago, this Sunday, I told Frank that I wanted to get my certification and become a teacher. This was a huge deal for me! After over 10 years of being prideful, I finally admitted that I wanted to teach. On that day, we went to church and it was Teacher Appreciation Sunday. The irony was thick but not as thick as it is today because Teacher Appreciation Sunday is again this Sunday.

I spent the rest of the year traveling, recruiting and trying to decide how I was going to do all of this...

By December, I decided it was time to gain teaching experience by substitute teaching and apply to the Alternative Certification program. By January, I was resigned from Texas Wesleyan and beginning my substitute teaching journey.

I was totally scared out of my mind walking into that classroom. I subbed half a day for a 7th grade History class. I came home after that first day and slept all afternoon. By May, I was a permenant substitute for a 5th grade class. They were wonderful kids and I learned a lot from them. What a transformation!

In between that, I took the TExES exam, the hardest test I had ever taken in my life. BUT, I passed, what a relief!

Then this summer, I took the most intense classes ever and proceeded to find a job.

Getting this job in Granbury was fate....it's a God thing, as CarolAnn Dawley would say.

Obviously, I did not take this journey by myself.

Frank, I want to thank you for supporting and loving me in this time. You have been there every step of the way on this roller coaster ride. I absolutely know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I have been successful because of your support. You wouldn't let me give up.

Mom and Dad, thank you for listening to me every day, giving advice, and offering encouragement. I hope I can be as wonderful a teacher as each of you have been. Thanks for not laughing when I called trying to figure out how to manage my classroom and wondering if I was going slowly insane!

Sue, thank you for every pep talk you have given me. I always had such clarity after talking to you.

Kathy, thank you for believing in me. You've always told me how proud you are of me. It always lifted my spirit and kept me going. This would have been an impossible journey without you.

Gina and Jeff, thank you for the future times we will be staying at your house...

Friends, thank you for the words of encouragement, lesson planning ideas, "woo hoos" and general support.

I hope that this can somewhat express how grateful I am for all of the support, love and encouragement that I have been given.

So, here goes.... my first year as a teacher!