Second Avenue Learning would like to show appreciation for the teachers that made us who we are. Teachers have been integral to our growth as a company and individually. They have a hand in the conception and creation of all of our products, and we are deeply thankful for their support. 

Below are some words from our team about the teachers who have influenced our lives. We’d love to hear some more first-hand accounts, and let teachers know how much we love them!

“He was a huge encouragement for me, a great mentor. I had no idea what I could do in my life until that moment. Here I stand 45 years later, still in software engineering; It all started with an encouraging lift from David Courtright.”

“Every lesson had purpose and a real world application, and that’s something I really appreciated. Above all else, they always made learning fun with their positive attitudes.”

“I took programming in high school; he let me hand in homework that was different than assigned so I could practice making games. It helped me discover what I wanted to do as a career!”

“She always knew when I could do better. She was tough, but her guidance helped me realize my full potential and gave me confidence to be proud of my work.”

“Ms. Neal, my ninth grade teacher, made us memorize a poem a week and then recite to the whole class. I had no idea how important that practice was for both self esteem and public speaking. She had a tremendous presence and now I know why.” 

“I am and will forever be grateful to my second-grade teacher Carol Boss, who fueled my early interest in art. I have vivid memories of working on batik and linoleum block printing projects while listening to tracks from the musical Hair. She was also dedicated to bringing current events into our classroom, including watching a lunar landing on a fuzzy black & white TV. To this day, when I hear the word “teacher” her face springs to mind, as it also does when I conjure a vision of ‘groovy.’”

“Frances Clawson taught classics.  Fabulous history, fabulous texts and she made it all come alive ‘Latin vivit!’”

“Mr. Coté made Physics so accessible and wonderful.  I will never forget his telling of the history of the Manhattan Project as preparation for our lab where we got to use Geiger counters.  I might be carbon-dating myself with that though.”

“My favorite college professors were always open to adapting their lessons to what the students were interested in and needed at the time. When I was making my first student film, I could always count on being able to go to my animation professors for help on things that were new to me. I know a lot of students did the same, and the professors really tried to incorporate the common questions and problems we were having into their existing lessons.”

Thank you, teachers, for all the ways you have impacted the way we NOW make impact ensuring learning tools are designed beyond bias, helping educators teach remotely, and helping businesses create value in the code economy.