Considerate 8th Grader Sends Positive Vibes To Favorite Math Teacher

from the Mahopac schools

Griffin Vennard is the kind of eighth-grader who goes out of his way to keep in touch with his favorite teachers. So, when he noticed that his former math teacher, Dorothy Myler, hadn’t been in her classroom for a while, he sent her an email asking if she was ok.

“I was thinking that she might have had Covid,” Griffin said. “We’re used to kids suddenly being out for a while and then finding out that they had Covid.”

But he was surprised when Myler responded that she had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy before having surgery. Myler’s response was honest, but also upbeat.

“The way I look at it, it can always be worse,” wrote Myler, who has taught seventh-grade math at Mahopac Middle School for nearly 20 years. “You guys at school are much more entertaining than nurses and doctors, LOL. Any good stories for me? I am always checking email, so feel free to email.”

Griffin, 13, was shocked to learn that Myler was sick. After seeing family friends and relatives suffer with cancer, he knew how hard chemotherapy could be.

He was determined to find a way to keep his favorite math teacher’s spirits up. Griffin remembered that his father had just sent a group e-card to someone, so Griffin decided to do the same.

Griffin contacted Assistant Principal Allyson Fallman who helped him get the email list of all the eighth graders who had Myler last year, as well as a list of the school’s teachers. He set out to round up teachers, administrators and all Myler’s former students and get them to write to her.

“Griffin is a quiet, unassuming kid,” Fallman said. “But he was so organized and thorough. He reached out to everyone and he did it all on his own. It shows a lot of maturity and a lot of empathy.”

The result was a beautiful card full of affection, jokes and wishes for a speedy recovery.

“I figured I was going to get 20 or 30 people to send her their best wishes,” Griffin said. “In the end it was more like 100.”

Myler, who started her leave of absence on January 24 and expects to be out for the rest of the school year, said she really appreciated Griffin’s kindness.

“This was an extremely nice gesture that goes an awfully long way when you’re going through a hard time,” she said. “He’s a great kid with a really big heart.”