Honoring Our Local Educators: Ms. Tammie Thompson at Griffin Elementary

MM Gives Back was launched as a way for the Michigan Mortgage team to give back to the community, local and afar. This year, we’re honoring our local educators. Each quarter, Michigan Mortgage will recognize a West Michigan educator and donate $1,000 to their school.

This quarter, we honored Ms. Tammie Thompson, a First Grade Teacher at Griffin Elementary in Grand Haven.

Ms. Thompson was nominated on our Facebook page by Erin Alvarez: “Tammie is an amazing teacher and role model. She encourages her students to work to their full potential. When others put children in ‘boxes,’ she lets the child decide what shape suits them best. She is a selfless teacher whose hard work and dedication often goes unnoticed. She is a ray of sunshine whose smile and positivity can be seen and heard through the halls of the school. She forms long lasting relationships with her students and families and truly cares about the ‘whole’ child. She goes above and beyond to make sure that each child is successful not only academically, but also socially and emotionally. My children continue to praise her for her ability to be a positive influence long after her time with them. She makes each child feel they are important and truly loved and cared for.”

She is so incredibly deserving of this recognition; we learned that first-hand when we visited her at Griffin.

“My wish for myself and my students, which I share with them every day, is to remember that we are valuable and amazing humans simply because we exist,” Tammie said. “Our job is to learn all we can about so many things while at the same time bringing our best selves to every situation.”

“My hope is for all of us to remember that being human means taking risks, making mistakes, feeling strong feelings and learning strategies to manage them. It also means bringing kindness, patience, compassion, respect, and a willingness to listen and learn into every space we enter with others. Every single day I believe this starts with me!”

Click here to see our surprise visit to Griffin Elementary! 

“I am an educator because teaching and learning are my passion,” Tammie said! “I am a lifelong learner myself and every day have set out with the intention to inspire others to have a similar mindset.”

“I am a passionate advocate for positive reinforcement and strategies that work to support desirable behaviors and consequences. Children have a natural yearning to explore, to reflect, to communicate, to connect, and to dream. It is my role as a guide in my classroom to teach and model positive, appropriate ways of satisfying these natural desires.”

“Tending to my students’ emotional and social selves and overall well-being is the first order of business every day in my classroom,” she continued. “By focusing on developing deep and meaningful relationships with students, I can more easily create a space that enables and helps to maintain a strong, safe foundation for curricular learning. Getting to know students on a personal level, listening to their interests, dreams, and concerns sends a strong, consistent message that I believe they are all humans first and learners next.”

On behalf of Michigan Mortgage, Ms. Thompson and Griffin Elementary received a check for $1,000.

“Thank you, Michigan Mortgage, for giving me this award,” she said. “I feel so blessed to have worked across decades with such caring, compassionate, and dedicated families in the Grand Haven area who have been committed to quality in the education of all of our children.”

Thank you for your commitment to education, Ms. Thompson! We are so blessed to recognize you as a recipient of our Honoring Our Local Educators Outstanding Teacher Award.