Tina Beam is an extraordinary woman, an elementary school teacher whose sensitivity and creativity in her fourth-grade classroom at Eden Hall has contributed immeasurably to the holistic growth of her students in the Pine Richland School District for over 24 years.

Families who have had the privilege of one or more of their children taught by Tina, know well of her intelligent, kind and inspiring approach to teaching. 

One such family are the Cochrans of the Meadows, Treesdale. 

Danielle and Chris Cochran's son, Christian was the first of their children introduced to Tina Beam. Their daughter Kate was her student 2 years later. (Tina taught math to Christian in fourth grade at Richland Elementary and Kate was in her fourth grade class at Eden Hall).

As readers may be aware, Christian, an extraordinary person himself, passed away in September of 2021, at the age of 23, after waging a profound battle with Cholangiocarcinoma, a rare form of liver cancer. 

WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT TODAY?”  If you’re familiar with Christian’s story, you may have heard that this was his question for his family throughout the physical devastation of his illness, a daily reminder from Christian to find the GOOD, the BEAUTY that resides within even the toughest of our days. Christian loved life so much and believed so thoroughly in its specialness, no less after he became ill and perhaps even more so.

When Tina learned of Christian's passing, and his daily message to his family throughout his illness, this triggered memories for her from the 2007-2008 school year. She vividly remembers Christian's infectious smile entering her classroom every day.  He would immediately seek her out to ask about her day, her young boys and if there was anything he could help her do in the classroom.  His sweet demeanor and helpful nature always brightened her day.

Tina shared how different her 2021 classroom looked when returning after a stint of virtual learning. "Both students and staff were required to wear masks and socially distance from one another. The masks prohibited smiles from being shared and made it difficult for some students to form new friendships.  After watching many young students struggle with the isolating and fear-provoking effects of Covid and being isolated, I recognized an opportunity to utilize Christian's profound message for the benefit of my students." 

"Tina realized that Christian's message was powerful and she wanted to use it daily on the whiteboard in her classroom," according to Danielle Cochran. "Tina reached out to us and asked if we would be agreeable to her using 'What’s GOOD about TODAY?' as a daily reminder to her students to start their day with positive, appreciative messages. We were pleased, and appreciated Tina's idea very much." 

Each day of the current school year and last, as Tina's young students enter the classroom and start their morning, they share a personal message on the board.  At the end of the day, Tina erases the board, in order that the students have an open canvas to share fresh messages the following morning, once again noting what they appreciate and makes them happy, in essence, "What’s GOOD about TODAY?"  This board of positivity has helped many children change their "bad day" into a good one by reading the messages of their classmates.