Any professor who walks into class with a magic wand is a woman after my own heart.  Not a ruler or a basket of candy or a bunch of power point slides - but a magic wand.  A wand with confetti!

A wand means that the professor expects magic to happen during class.  Magic.  Not the simple transmission of facts and data, but good old fashioned roll-up-your-sleeves-and-inspire-students-MAGIC.

Bring out the Best in Others (Shine Principle #6), Reject Mediocrity (#7), Be Relentlessly Passionate (#8) and Create (#2).  Those are only a sampling of reasons why this week's nominee deserves to have her mailbox flooded with our anonymous letters of gratitude.

And, as if that is not enough, take a look at the long and glowing list of things our nominator had to say about this week's recipient:

"The first week that I walked into Teresa's classroom during my second year of graduate school, she was holding a plastic wand in her hand and walked around the room sprinkling confetti on our desks. This was only the beginning of my realization that Teresa was a woman whose magic would make a huge impact on my life. Each week in class, she began with the wand and confetti and embraced her own magic by pushing her students to limits they'd never been. In Teresa's class, I was given assignments that I felt unprepared to complete, but was pushed to make an effort and then submit for feedback and support. What I quickly realized is that I had the tools I needed to complete the assignments, but that was an ability I found in myself because of Teresa's push.

My semester spent in Teresa's class reminded me of the pure magic that can be felt in a classroom. Teresa holds a position high in the administration of the university I was attending for graduate school; however, this did not stop her from being personally involved in our lives. Teresa was instrumental in my life throughout my second year of grad school. She showed me that as a woman, it was possible to be both a mother and a successful career woman in the administration of a university. Teresa took me to lunch, tea, or just had small chats with me when I needed them through my job search process and helped me to find the direction with which I wanted to head in my life. When I was waiting to hear whether or not I had received a job, she would light candles for me, cross her fingers for me, and give me a loving hug of support every time that she saw me.

Teresa has made an impact on my life because she has reminded me of what it means to truly shine. She has shown me success in higher education as a woman, she has reminded me that I am the director of my own personal journey, she reminded me as a 23 year old what it was like to have a love for learning, and she supported me in a way that let me know she is always there. My confidence heading into my first professional job and in my life as an independent woman is in may ways due to the impact Teresa had on my life." 

Now, let's work our magic.  Join together - veterans and newcomers alike - and help flood Teresa's mailbox with anonymous letters of gratitude.

Participating is simple.

Write Teresa a short note, telling her you heard about the difference she is making for an entire generation of professionals entering her line of work.  Comment on her creativity, her passion, the genuine interest she shows in students, or on the role model she so clearly is to many.

Then, seal your note in a yellow envelope (or a white envelope decorated with yellow markers and stickers) and place the words, "Yellow Envelope Project" in the return address.  Mail your envelope to Teresa sometime before next Saturday when we meet again to recognize another deserving person.  It's that simple and, yes, it's that magical.

Shining off until Monday.