In a time when educators are undervalued and under-resourced, some still go above and beyond—not for recognition, but because they believe deeply in their students and the power of education. Mr. Hanson is one of those rare teachers. Please join me in donating to help him to continue to expand cross district fine arts initiatives in Coppell ISD, and to remind him that there are millions of us out there who believe in what he’s doing.

How lucky we are to have teachers like this. And how much it means to feel seen.

Here’s my story:

When your doctor mom heart feels torn in two…

Last week, my son Rami had his musical theater camp performance. I did everything I could to make it—but a complicated case ran long. I could’ve handed it off, but we were so close to finishing. I stayed as long as I could before making the tough call to hand over care—so I could at least catch the end of Rami’s show. I sped to the school, heart heavy with guilt—for leaving a sick patient, burdening my colleague, not planning better.

I ran in, spotted Rami on stage. His face lit up, then dropped. He mouthed, “You missed my performance.” I started crying. I failed everyone.

Mr. Hanson—the camp director and one of our beloved Coppell ISD music teachers—came out to explain they were redoing a number due to earlier tech issues. Rami got back on stage. Beaming. “You got to see me!” he mouthed afterward.

After the show, the director told me he’d seen me rush in, recognized the scrubs, and decided to repeat the number when he saw how upset I was. “My mom’s a physician,” he said. “I remember how hard it was for her to make my performances. I wanted to make sure you got to see your son.”

This is the kind of teacher we need to invest in—one who sees the whole child and the whole family. Mr. Hanson is doing transformative work for kids across districts, and he deserves our support.