My Nonprofit Reviews

Forty years ago, before anyone knew much about kindergarten, I was hired to start a class, in a rural public-school district in Western Massachusetts. I'd had excellent preparation to be a teacher, yet I lacked experience, or any practical method of building community confidence and support. Luckily for me (and my community) I came across an invitation to attend a Gesell Institute workshop. That's when I met Jacqueline (Jackie) Haines!
The value of what I learned at the workshop informed my practice for many years. The most often borrowed books from my family resource shelf were those that explained each chronological age in DEVELOPMENTAL terms, such as "Your Two Year Old".
The Gesell Institute is once again a part of my professional life. Why? Because good things (like some fashions) return approximately every 35 years.
Because Marcy Guddemi, who earned my trust through the work she did prior to coming to Gesell, warmly invited me to revisit the mission of the Institute and attend the LEAD conference in October 2010.
Because by attending the conference, I once again experienced the quality, devotion, and energy that fuels the mission of The Gesell Institute. The "icing on the cake" was speaking with Jackie Haines, and recalling the influence she had on my early career --- one that lasted 35 years!
That she, and other respected leaders in the field, such as Drs. Brazelton and Sparrow, attended the LEAD Conference, (and undoubtedly influenced new teachers), makes this organization worthy of the 2011 award.

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