This year all GDS employees are writing about what makes Gaston Day a special place for them. Here is what Kindergarten teacher Ada Frank wrote.
Trying to come up with a significant memory after 23 years
of teaching at Gaston Day school is quite challenging. Teaching Kindergarten,
First Grade, Learning Academy and back to Kindergarten has been such a
significant and positive aspect of my life.
Rather than relating one memory, I’d like to share some thoughts on the
impact that Gaston Day has had on me.
To begin, I am grateful that my children, Alisha and Adam, attended Gaston
Day. The education that Alisha received
from 7th grade through 12th grade and Adam from 4th
grade through 10th grade has impacted their lives in many ways. GDS well prepared both of my children for
life long learning: Adam for the opportunity to attend the North Carolina
School of Science and Math and both of them for the needed educational
background for pursuing their dreams of becoming doctors.
Teaching at the school my children attended was a privilege. The caliber of the teachers and the rigor of the curriculum were what I wanted for my own children and allowed me to share this information with families looking at Gaston Day. I can say that both of these areas have influenced me in the ways I interact with the children I teach and their families. The relationships among staff members are collaborative and caring. I am pleased to consider many former and current faculty members as friends both inside and outside of Gaston Day.
Many of my close friends are families I met and developed a
relationship with from teaching their children.
Watching one of my Kindergartners or First Graders graduate from Gaston
Day is so rewarding. After this many years,
I love seeing or hearing updates from former families/students and feel so special
that they still keep in contact because they were pleased with what their
children experienced in my class. Some
special moments that come to mind are: receiving a copy of an essay on a
teacher that was most influential from a former first grader who attended
Davidson Day at the time; a call from a parent of a former student who had
their son’s Kindergarten Memory Scrapbook (something I have made for each child
every year) on display at the rehearsal dinner; receiving a letter and kindergarten
photos of her and me from a former Kindergartners written during her third year
of college; wedding invitations; birth announcements; and even going on trips
with some of these friends.
Over the years, there have been continued positive changes at
Gaston Day: a more rigorous curriculum, highly
qualified teachers, more opportunities with the arts and athletics, emphasis on
professional development, updated technology, and new facilities. Gaston Day has certainly stepped up to the
goal of becoming the finest private school in the Southeast.
At this stage of my life having grown children and an empty
nest, the children I teach become even a more significant part of my life. Often I consider Gaston Day School as being a
sanctuary to me, a place that I come to for filling my heart and sharing my
talents. Daily I am blessed to receive
more than I give. Gaston Day has been so
good to me and for me. I can’t imagine
what my life would have been like had I not had the opportunity to teach here.
