MUSKEGON, Mich. — This next Teacher of the Week recently showed up to what she thought was just another school assembly only to find out it was all set up for her.
The assembly was complete with newly made signs, some with Erin Robinson’s face, and even confetti making for an emotional surprise. The Wesley School teacher said, “I don’t necessarily feel that I deserve that. That somebody would even take the time to nominate me is just overwhelming to me, because I feel like we all do the best that we can and we all want our students to succeed and be the best selves that they can be.”
Wesley is a special education school serving students across Muskegon County.
“This is something I’ve wanted to do since I was in elementary school. I started working with kiddos with autism then. My classroom has five students in it and they all have autism, nonverbal. Some of them have higher behavioral needs,” said Robinson.
This can bring on challenges not every teacher is faced with.
“Oh, this couldn’t have come at a better time,” said Deanna Amstutz, the principal at Wesley, and she added, “Having somebody nominate one of our teachers and being able to celebrate them, it’s really a celebration for everybody.”
The principal pointed to Robinson’s work ethic as one reason she’s the perfect choice for Teacher of the Week.
“She comes in early, she leaves late and I know that she’s constantly thinking about her students,” said Amstutz,
Robinson told 13 ON YOUR SIDE, “The students, I feel, that they know that they are loved and wanted and welcomed and they have grown so much.”
Principal Amstutz considers the win for Robinson a win for all of Wesley, saying, “We’re just so excited that people are taking note of the hard work that we do. It’s a note about our teamwork and our efforts and how we’re able to work together for the success of students.”
“Teaching is hard work. Some days you feel like throwing in the towel, ‘I’m done. I’m heading to Hallmark. I’m going to sell greeting cards,’ but it’s totally worth it and if you have that heart and passion to work with students, definitely go into teaching where you can feel and make a difference,” said Robinson.
If you have someone you’d like to nominate as our next Teacher of the Week, just text the word “teacher” to 616-559-1310.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.