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I point out my student’s strengths so that they can start believing in themselves. Every child has a craving to learn. They are just like little sponges. –Jen Dugan Agne

When you think back to your education, was there one teacher who saw your talents before you did? Meet my longtime friend Jen Dugan Agne. A 5th-grade teacher at the Marie Hastings School in Lexington, Massachusetts, she LOVES what she does. In fact, she’s been the kind of teacher students never forget for 38 years. Says Jen: “My heart is full every day. I tell them all the time, who else would I want to hang out with but these honest little souls?” The youngest of three girls, Jen was raised in the town where she teaches and recalls being very shy as a child. It was her 4th-grade physical education teacher who saw something in her that she didn’t see in herself. The result was a lifelong love of sports and a commitment to be a school teacher someday. A graduate of Boston University with a BS and a Masters degree in Elementary Education, Jen set out for San Bernadino, California, where she taught 35 first graders for a year in a community where migrant workers and their families come and go throughout the school year, creating gaps in learning, making education very difficult for students. Back in Boston, she noticed an ad for a company called On Location Education and was hired as the tutor on the set of the movie Mermaids, starring Cher, Winona Ryder, and Christina Ritchie. From there, she joined the national tour of Les Miserables, where she ran her classroom like a one-room schoolhouse for the four children in the cast. All of these experiences have nurtured Jen’s goal of being the best teacher a child could ever ask for. When the school year begins, she explains: “We are a family, and we have each other’s backs, both in the classroom and outside of the classroom. We respect each other.” The proud mother of two, Jen is a two-time heart attack survivor who believes that life is short and “time is of the essence. If you have something to say, say it because you might not have that chance again.” For 23 minutes of pure teacher magic, just hit that download button! #teacher #gratitude #heartattack #inspiration #thanksgiving

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History grounds you in who you are.  -Noelle Trent, PhD

Have you ever wished that you could sit down with a historian of United States history?  Meet Noelle Trent.  She’s spent her entire career studying the history of our country with a focus on the African American experience.  A “publichistorian,” Noelle has worked at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African History & Culture in Washington, DC, and the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, where she spearheaded MLK50 to commemorate the life, mission, and impact of Dr. Martin Luther King on the 50th anniversary of his assassination.  These days, you will find her at the Museum of African American History/Boston & Nantucket, where she proudly serves as the President & CEO.  www.maah.org. The daughter of a minister and a teacher, Noelle and her sisters were raised in the Baptist Church in Westchester, Pennsylvania, where her mother started an afterschool program rooted in teaching children about black history.   Noelle credits her parents with planting the seed that would become her passion and her profession as a historian. Says Noelle:  “When you grow up in a community with a lot of history around you, you need to have people around you to point it out.”   From what it meant to be an abolitionist in the 1800s to the founding of the nation’s first school for black children in 1835, to the story behind “Watch Night” services and the Jim Crow era, this episode is a tutorial in African American history. #blackhistory #MLK #CivilWar #emancipationproclamation#thestorybehindhersuccess

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My diagnosis could be a death sentence, but you know what? I just keep moving forward every day because I want to give others hope. -Theresa Keresztes

There’s something about the strength of a woman. Somehow, someway, she persists…overcoming obstacles, finding new paths toward success, and doing good in the world. One of the scariest things we ever encounter in this life is a cancer diagnosis, and over the last few weeks, we’ve been saluting breast cancer survivors. Theresa Keresztes was just 40 years old when she felt a lump on her breast. The new mom went to the doctor and was told to come back in 6 months. She never did. Years later, a mammogram detected breast cancer. Since then, her cancer has recurred and spread to other parts of her body, but her story does not focus on her breast cancer…it focuses on what she has done for other women with the creation of My Girl’s Skin Care, mygirlscream.com. Inspired by a visit to Eastern Europe, where she noticed that women’s skin was flawless, this all-natural skincare brand is dedicated to providing chemical-free comfort to cancer patients during chemo, radiation, and when taking post-breast cancer drugs, which can cause debilitating muscle cramps. Cancer centers across the country are catching on, suggesting that their patients use My Girl’s Skin Care products. From researching ingredients found in Hungary at local apothecaries (rose hips and rose peddles) to locating manufacturers and developing a distribution plan, Theresa is an entrepreneur on a mission to help women heal. Her new app “Copeful” is Theresa’s latest invention, providing a forum that encourages hope and positivity. For a 22-minute tutorial on strength and courage during cancer, just hit that download button. #breastcancer #survivor #entrepreneur #skincare