Bryan teachers were welcomed back Friday by cheers, an a capella performance, an unexpected announcement and a motivational speech delivered by an educator and author.
The morning's events were part of the district's annual convocation.
Hundreds of teachers sitting as groups with their schools listened quietly as Olga Samples Davis, a long-time educator and a published writer, recited one of her poems.
"Will you give this day the gift of you? The blessing of you?" Davis said. "You, with a mind, that this day can honor thoughts of peace and love."
While the poem was originally written for Thanksgiving, Davis said she felt it was appropriate for the occasion.
"You are a gift, you are a blessing," she told the teachers. "I'm here to celebrate you. I know what you give, I know what the sacrifice is all about."
Also during the event, a representative from the Region 6 Education Service Center made a surprise announcement.
Kerri Rothell, a first-grade teacher at Sul Ross Elementary, was chosen as the region's teacher of the year after being named Bryan schools elementary teacher of the year earlier this summer.
Region 6 includes 58 districts from 15 Southeast Texas counties. Rothell will move on as a candidate for Texas Teacher of the Year, the winner of which will be announced in October.
She has worked as a Bryan teacher for 18 years and was chosen because of her ability to "create an oasis for every child on every day," officials said.
Caring for the students is obviously important, but Davis encouraged the teachers to look out for each other as well.
She said when she was teaching, her husband was in critical care and she was becoming frustrated. That's when her teacher friends came to the rescue and helped her maintain the quality of her instruction.
"Being a teacher is plain tough sometimes," she said. "We have to save each other over and over again."
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