I have made a career of influencing others. For the last 40 years, I have been a professor of elementary education at GW, instructing and mentoring some of the brightest aspiring teachers in the country. My role at GSEHD is definitively prolific: my hope is to inspire and teach students who then inspire and teach others—their own elementary students. And after four decades and hundreds of students, I believe I have made an impact in the field of Elementary Education. I have come to realize that it is not all about teaching our aspiring elementary teachers how to teach children reading, writing, and arithmetic—it is about how to teach children to be kind to one another, to take care of one another. This is the most important lesson I could leave with my students. My strategy may not be typical in its approach, but I believe it is exponential in its effect. In April 2015, I was the recipient of the Jane Lingo Alumni Outstanding Service Award. The Alumni Outstanding Service Award is given to alumni who advance the mission of the university through dedicated volunteer efforts in support of its programs, thereby ensuring the university’s impact on our community and future generations of students. The award is given annually to a faculty member who consistently advances the mission of the university through dedicated volunteer efforts in support of its programs. For almost four decades, I have been responsible for providing a major portion of our Elementary Education students' academic, instructional, advisory, and supervisory services. Our graduates are much sought-after teachers and I think it is not unwarranted to assume that my ongoing commitment and dedication to the program's integrity and quality have contributed greatly to its continuing success and growth.