The Spirit of Generosity: Making a Difference, Together.

By Anne Fleming

Generosity is a theme that comes to mind for many of us as we approach the holidays. That warm feeling you experience when you bring cookies to a neighbor or watch someone open a gift you picked out for them is one of the best parts of the season. At MindSpark Learning, we love to share our spirit of giving all year long by engaging in quarterly staff volunteer days, food drives, supporting local businesses and more. For a past volunteer event, we pitched in together to pick up trash at Belmar Park near our headquarters. It was a fantastic way to get outside and enjoy some fresh air while serving our neighbors! We also pride ourselves on giving back to the educator community with offerings including a free co-working space for teachers, and professional development experiences that support them to achieve greater satisfaction and impact in their careers.

The work of educators is too often overlooked and undervalued. Our mission is to disrupt this status quo and build a future where teachers are recognized and celebrated for all they do. Our work strives to connect and empower educators with the right tools and support to ignite their passion for teaching and effectively guide their students on a journey to fulfilling adult lives and careers. This important work would not be possible without the generous support of our industry partners and donors – community partnership is at the core of our mission, and we value these relationships deeply.

Interwoven with our work of upskilling educators is a desire to leave every community we touch better than we found it. What does this look like? Picture a wave that starts with the ripple of empowering educators with exciting new tools, and swells with the energy of community partnerships, gathering momentum along the way by practicing problem-based learning techniques in teacher’s own neighborhoods to overcome collective challenges. Finally, the wave crashes on the beach – the classroom, where newfound teacher knowledge and passion collides with students in an explosive impact that sends them into their futures, prepared with everything they need to thrive in an ever-changing world. Our techniques help program participantseducators learn to think outside of the box and work together to make an impact on their students, and the world around them. Teachers are uniquely poised to catalyze positive change, especially with generous support from their communities.

Educators are superheroes, and one of their many superpowers is generosity. It takes a truly giving spirit to pour your heart and soul into guiding and educating the next generation day after day, year after year even through the many challenges that teachers face. Reflect for a moment on your own experience. Can you think of an educator who impacted your journey in life? Where would you be, where would any of us be, without these guiding lights early in life to show us how to read and write, how to share and be kind to others, how to think critically and tackle obstacles in our path? Great teachers are beacons of generosity, sharing the priceless gifts of knowledge and guidance with every student. It’s time we give back, and there are so many ways you can get involved! Volunteer your time at a local school. Purchase classroom items from a teacher’s Amazon wish list. Send a thank you card or gift to your child’s teacher. Lend financial support through community giving movements like Giving Tuesday and Colorado Gives Day – both are coming up soon! Get creative, and have fun with giving however you choose.

True generosity goes beyond just one giver, lending support to one recipient in a one-way, one-time transaction. Generosity should be a two-way street: your neighbor invites you over for dinner one week, and you shovel their driveway the next. You donate to a cause you care about, and they use your donation to further important work and effect positive change. Beyond that two-way street, one act of generosity can inspire a chain reaction of giving and opportunity that ripples throughout a community, whether local or global, to create a better future for all. I hope this message inspires the spirit of giving in you this season. Remember that no act of kindness is too small to make a difference. Give in whatever way feels meaningful to you, and when you receive an act of generosity, pay it forward to keep the chain going. How will you make a difference in your community?

Before you go:

Thank you for taking the time to read these thoughts. At MindSpark, we know that today’s classrooms are the foundation of tomorrow’s future. We are actively participating in Giving Tuesday and Colorado Gives Day, as mentioned above, and we’d be honored to receive your support. $0.96 of every dollar donated goes directly into programming to support educator upskilling.  When you invest in education, you’re investing in all of us. Click here to join us in empowering educators to make a difference in our world!