Robin McLeod

Heroes do amazing things with simplicity and generosity of spirit. My hero continues to do amazing things as a middle school teacher for the last twenty-five years. We have been colleagues for fifteen of those years. My, what I have learned about Robin McLeod as a teacher, mother, wife, friend, and advocate. She clearly lives what she believes. Children come to her in her 6th grade classroom and leave filled with facts of historical events and people, but most importantly, they leave knowing they are valued and loved.

Robin cares about the daily lives of our students. Not only does she listen to their complaints and successes with support and advice, but she attends their extracurricular events, ranging from the football field to the recital hall, encouraging their talents and skills. Robin is the best audience member and cheerleader for our students and our parents. She tirelessly shares her time and varied interests with enthusiasm. What a treat for us when Robin tells a story! She captivates us with each detail.

Her love of nature is evidenced in all she does. Her careful attention to our stewardship echoes as she reads the words of Chief Seattle. Students flock to her room with injured birds, frogs, and turtles. She combines Mary Poppins with Mother Earth. We even bring dying plants for her to bring back to life. A walk through her yard of wildflowers and roses is an education in all the gifts of Creation. Helping others identify wildlife and vegetation from one tiny bird to a huge bush is another act of her valuing our world. Robin never stops educating us.

Robin is also a survivor of breast cancer. She continued to teach her students through her treatments. I know I could never have found the strength that she did as she drove over forty-five minutes back and forth to school each day. Often the lack of eye lashes made her eyesight painful, but she just adapted with her “rose-colored” lenses. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer a year ago, she was my model of courage and patience. She would worry for me, so I didn’t need to fret. She even found the same surgeon she had, so I could have his expertise.

Robin can be summed up in this sentence. She’s a secret told by angels spreading love throughout our world. May she enter your world through my writing of my hero. She will make you smile.