Tracy Larson of Freedom Middle School says her biggest education success story of the year was simply seeing her special education students experience significant growth. "More importantly than numbers on a piece of paper, though, their confidence grew," she wrote in the weac.org Education Success forum. "This was the REAL story of success!"

The forum is one way weac.org is celebrating the end of another great school year. WEAC members who share their education success stories are eligible to win a Family Four Pack to either Noah's Ark Water Park in Wisconsin Dells or the Milwaukee County Zoo. But the forum isn't really about the prizes; it's about sharing these amazing and sometimes emotional success stories.

For Renee Salmon of North Crawford Elementary School, her biggest success this year - like 34 years before - "has been seeing each and every Speech/Language student make progress in some big or small way. In sadness and joy this will be my last group. Retirement."

Kelly Mottl of Danz Elementary School in Green Bay, says her biggest success was "helping one student move up from minimal in reading to proficient. She was so proud of herself and her efforts, and I share in her joy."

Holmen bus driver Sheila Engstad succeeded in turning around the behavior of a student using a very simple tactic. "I had a 4th grade student that started out the year with an attitude of toughness towards the other students," she wrote. "One day I thanked him for behaving on the bus and things changed for the better."

Connie Mitchell, a special education secretary at Electa Quinner Elementary School in Kaukauna, had a similar story. "Our CD program is here for kids 1st - 4th grade and there is one little girl for 2 years would always say she is too shy to say hi to me. This past year now she has said hi and my name. That made me feel so proud, because she is able to do it now because of the help of some very special teachers we have here."

Joanna Rizzotto of South Milwaukee High School, is proud that one of her students "who has struggled in high school was accepted into UW-Milwaukee and will begin her journey to become a teacher."

And Celia Powell, of Merton Primary School, writes, "One of my students with developmental disabilities is starting to use two and occasionally three words phrases on his own! A year ago he was using mostly one word at a time."

It is obvious from the comments in this special forum that Wisconsin teachers and education support professionals take great pride in their students' successes - sometimes large and sometimes small - and in their ability to help students achieve those successes.

These are just a few of dozens of entries in our forum. Please take a few minutes to read these testimonials - and to add your own to the list. If you add your success story by noon Friday, June 4, you will be entered to win these great summer prizes. Go ahead. You have earned it!