What an upside-down, unpredictable, and uncertain world we live in right now, or that is what the media would like us to think. Step back, take a big breath, and reflect on what makes you grateful.

I am grateful for all you teachers who are helping your students proceed with their education and learning, no matter the context and no matter the learning environment. Thank you for your creativity, ingenuity, and flexibility.

I am grateful for the gift of learning. The more I learn, the more I know there is to learn, and there is a lot more to learn. Thank you so, so much to those who have created the many valuable learning opportunities and made them available and accessible in a virtual realm. Pajama pants have a new place in our professional attire.

I am grateful to the researchers who have helped to answer questions, bit by bit, building a body of evidence to guide the educational process. We have settled science, where the findings have held steady across time; and we have ongoing research whose findings seek to help us continually improve our educational practice. What a contribution technology has afforded us in our understanding of brain research, neuroscience, and cognitive science in how we learn.

I am grateful to those of you who ask challenging questions. These give us pause to reflect and process and ponder and ruminate and wonder, seeking a better and more informed understanding. A thought related to the big things—What is the “ Science of Reading,” really, and what is your informed understanding? And some fun related to the trivial things—Where does the word “alphabet” come from? Alpha-bet(a)!

I am grateful for a deeper understanding of the contribution language makes in the literacy learning process. I love the concept of expanding Science of Reading, SOR to SOLAR—the Science of Oral Language and Reading. Now, I am wondering where a W would fit to explicitly include Writing.

I am grateful for all who are able to take important research findings and help translate the results into classroom application. I so appreciate the Simple View of Reading and the Four-Part Processing model of how the brain works. I wonder, in 20 years from now and with the research findings yet to come, what we will think of our understanding today and if we are on the right track. I think we will; and there is more to learn.

In the meantime, I am so grateful to be a part of the educational community and teaching profession. To all you teachers and educators, I am inspired by your dedication and commitment to your students. I am so grateful for the important difference you make in their lives. To me, there is nothing better than knowing you have contributed to making a child’s life better.

Thank you!

Lucy Hart Paulson, Ed.D., CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist and literacy specialist with years of experience working with children and their families. She is the lead author of LETRS ^® for Early Childhood Educators , Building Early Literacy and Language Skills, and Good Talking Words.