To My Children’s Teachers

To my children’s teachers,

It is Teacher Appreciation Week at school, and while my kids and many others are honoring your hard work and dedication with drawings and flowers and candy, I wanted to let you know from a parent’s perspective how very much you’ve meant not only to my kids, but to my entire family.

I want to thank you for being a second mother to my children. I know my kids have called you “Mommy”  more than once- They always tell me about it afterward, giggling like crazy. To me, that says so much about you, and how you treat your students. I remember a day when one of you was comforting a boy whose parent couldn’t come to an event. “Don’t worry,” you told him, taking his hand in yours. “I’ll be your mommy this morning. It’ll be okay.” I see these small moments and my heart swells. I love how much you love the children in your class.

Thank you for making learning fun. My children come home from school each day excited about what you have taught them and eager to tell me all about it. Your lessons on space and Japan and photosynthesis and presidents and cultural holidays and the civil rights movement are shaping who they are and who they’ll become. Your rewards for reading  have helped turn my daughter into a child who has a nightstand stacked with books and who spends most of her free time reading them. Your belief that students enjoy being challenged means that my son is now adding and subtracting double digits, learning about fractions, and counting into the thousands in kindergarten. Kindergarten! I am in awe of all you have taught my children, and so happy that they’re having fun in the process.

Thank you for dealing with my daughter’s first bully swiftly and decisively. When I wrote you a tentative e-mail about what was going on, you responded within minutes and dealt with it the very next day, both with me and the other child’s parents. It turned out to be a valuable lesson for my daughter in speaking out when there’s a problem and keeping it from happening to someone else.

Thank you for keeping stress to a minimum during standardized testing. Both my children treated those days like any other at school, and I realized from talking to other parents that their attitudes had everything to do with your attitudes. I know that standardized tests are incredibly stressful for you, as teachers– Thank you for not letting that stress transfer to your students.

Thank you for your continual thoughtfulness. I have seen you give my children your own drink from the refrigerator when they didn’t have one of their own. I heard just yesterday that you bought Bruiser a popsicle on Field Day after I forgot to send money for him. You have called and e-mailed me with reminders when I’ve needed them, let the kids bring projects in late when I’ve forgotten about them, and been so forgiving of my lapses when I’m traveling or under deadline. You have minimized the fact that I’m far from perfect when it comes to remembering everyone’s schedules, and I’m so grateful for that.

To the teaching assistant in Punky’s classroom– Your job on paper is to help the kids in the room with special needs, but you do so much more than that. Thank you for being a true maternal presence in the classroom, always ready to re-tie hairbows and give hugs and comfort the children when they’re upset, and to teach them funny phrases like “Hubba, hubba.” Thank you for helping with handouts and cut-outs and class projects, and for making them special treats throughout the year. You have gone so far above and beyond– There should be a special award just for you.

Each one of you has treated my children like they mean everything to you, and that’s so much more than I was expecting from their elementary school experience. If they can’t be here with me every day, I can’t think of a better place for them to be than with you. I know that they will remember each one of you for the rest of their lives. So will I.

I am so grateful for you.

Flowers via TwoMoreSeconds/Flickr