Gratitude is central to our culture at UVEI, and we have a tradition at this time of year of sharing 5 things we’re grateful for with our whole network. Here is our list for 2025!
Joy and Engagement in the face of challenges
At our fall forum (UVEI’s annual gathering of alumni, graduates, candidates, and community partners that highlights local innovations happening in schools), we gathered around the theme of teaching and leading in uncertain times. What we got in response were stories of joy, engagement, participation, and deep learning. It was a powerful reminder to us that, as educators, we always have something actionable that we can do to help improve the world around us: Create meaningful and powerful opportunities for learning and connection among students and each other. Motivated by what we heard, surfacing and deepening instances of joy and engagement became our unofficial theme for the year!
Kids who love their teachers
Every year we host a table at the “Lebfest” community event where we invite kids (and adults!) to write gratitude postcards to teachers that have impacted them. We then track down the teacher and mail them the postcard (we mailed nearly 70 this year!). The students’ stories about their teachers never fail to inspire us, and remind us how grateful we are for the work that educators do.
Educators who are always learning
Continuous improvement is a core value at UVEI, and one of the great joys of working at UVEI is the alumni who come back for more. Teachers come back to earn masters degrees, experienced educators return to become school leaders, reading teachers return to become literacy specialists, and many return to reconnect with UVEI and engage in professional learning. For us, these returning educators are a powerful reminder that learning is never done, and our job is to support our community throughout their careers.
Places of belonging in schools
Last year we visited alumni across Vermont and New Hampshire in search of places of belonging – spaces in schools where youth find connection and community. We spoke with educators at all grade levels; and looked at makers spaces, drama clubs, youth leadership efforts, mentoring programs, art studios, table top gaming clubs, and more. Some of the common themes included opportunities for students to explore their interests and to be creative, gatherings that felt affirming and inclusive, meaningful adult-student relationships, and opportunities to develop and showcase skills and strengths that they don’t always get to in other aspects of school. We are deeply grateful to all the educators who create these spaces – within, or in addition to, their regular duties.
The UVEI Community’s Support
UVEI provides scholarships, fellowships, and increased accessibility to our programs, which is only possible with the incredible support of donors – alumni; current and former educators; and people who care about teachers, kids, and schools. This support allows UVEI to provide need based scholarships, scholarships for those who work in underserved communities, and contributes to the overall affordability of our programs. UVEI would not be able to do what we do without this support, and we are so grateful! If you would like to support us, consider donating to support our work.
