Ok, I'm c/p this from a Cincinnati Enquirer. (I'm not sure if that's even legal, but in order for my blog post to make sense, you need to see where I'm coming from... This was written by Krista Ramsey at the Enquirer:
Dear Teachers,
This is the first of much correspondence you'll receive from us this year.
We'll write to beg for an extension on our children's math assignment.
"Soccer practice went late last night and there was no time for homework and we're sure you'll understand because it's Jake's first year in select and it really matters."
We'll scribble a note to ask that you move our sensitive Lucy away from domineering Evelyn - but not near chatty Suzy and as far away as possible from mean Renee.
We will write to remind you of our children's orthodontist appointments, allergy shots, physical therapy sessions for the torn ACL, early dismissals every Thursday so we can get them to ballet classes on the other side of town.
And please note that Aaron will be gone the entire week after Thanksgiving since we couldn't schedule our winter vacation any other time.
We'll email a request for extra science homework for our Anthony, who you'll recall is gifted. But could you lighten up on that weekly vocabulary list? Asking fifth-graders to remember eight definitions every week is just too stressful.
And could you stop requiring outside reading on weekends? And we don't think it's fair you took Jenna's cell phone away since she was just talking to her mom. And please make sure Darren brushes his teeth after lunch. And Michael says he's never called on. And don't forget to remind Andi that she takes Bus 12 to her grandma's on Wednesdays.
And what's up with the A- in social studies? As you'll recall, Anthony is gifted.
These are the messages you'll get from us.
Then there's that one we'll keep forgetting to send.
Thank you for letting Ellen sit outside the circle. She's been really quiet since our puppy died.
Thanks for nominating Troy for the choral award. He's never been nominated for anything before.
We appreciate your staying after school to go over law of cosine with David - for the seventh time.
How kind of you to stop by the hospital to see Leah. It took her mind off of her treatment.
Thanks for knowing Micah didn't want you to mention his perfect score in front of everyone else.
Thanks for your last class newsletter, reminding parents it's no fun to be the only one not invited to a birthday party.
Carlos said you think he should step up to accelerated language arts next year. We agree.
Thanks for inviting Nick to try ski club. Kids with hearing impairments often get left out.
Trey's in at Vanderbilt! Thanks for writing the recommendation letter.
These are the letters we will mean to send. But somehow we won't find the time.
To be honest, sometimes we just don't have the right words, or maybe the emotional composure, to say thanks for loving our kids.
For seeing through their bad behavior to their good hearts.
For pulling the one thing they're fantastic at out of all the things they stink at.
For protecting the tender little kid who's hiding inside the sulky adolescent.
For hacking through their failures to make a path for their successes.
For knowing what they love before they do.
As you start the school year, know this: You will change someone's life this year.
You will say a kind word to a child that you'll forget the next day, and the child will remember for the rest of his life.
You'll be the safe place for the child beaten down by bullies, the stable place for the one losing his home, the hopeful place for the kid who sweats out every assignment.
So thanks for touching their lives this year, along with our hearts. You really do hold the future in your hands.
Krista Ramsey's column appears Friday and Sunday. Email her at kramsey@enquirer.com.
Jackson has been in school for four years now. (Two years of preschool, then kindergarten and first grade.) Every year, we have been so fortunate to get the best possible teachers. I went to college to be a teacher. I know how difficult the job is. I also know there are some who did it out of passion and some who do it for whatever reason (nights, weekends, holidays and summers off? I don't know!) I'm really thankful we seem to keep getting those that are truly passionate about it, or are at least good fakers.
In preschool, we had Mrs. O and Miss C. That was Jackson's first year of school - right at the height of every issue he had going on - the entire purpose of school was so he could see how other kids behaved and learn how to behave in society. (I planned to homeschool until then.) I was so nervous sending him, he had so much going on in his little world - I enrolled him at Kings Kids with the understanding I would pull him out at the first sign that he was struggling. That day has never happened!
The second year of preschool was Mrs. C and Mrs. K. Again, so so lucky. Things went so well, he was adapting so perfectly. I had concerns about putting him in kindergarten because he was a young 5 - he's younger than most kids in his class and sometimes boys struggle academically and socially, so parents sometimes hold their young fives out til the next year. After speaking to the fabulous teachers, we decided to try kindergarten, and again, never looked back.
In kindergarten, we had the pleasure of being educated by Miss B - she was so fun and so wonderful for Jackson. She had a class of 14 boys and six girls but somehow managed to survive the year with at least a little sanity. (After chaperoning the field trip to the zoo, I wanted to know what her favorite wine was so the other parents could buy her a case as her end of the year gift. She laughed when I asked, but I really was serious!)
This year, he has Miss C... she is so much fun - her classroom is fun and spunky and learning is an adventure with her. Jackson raves about the cool stuff they do and I can just see his little eyes light up when he talks about school. This is EXACTLY what I wanted to school to be for my kids.
When he started school, I was worried because of his allergies, I was worried because he learns differently than other kids. Would he need an IEP? A 504? Was I going to get called all the time from the teacher or principal? Well, so far, the answer is no... his school is awesome, his teachers are awesome. He is thriving and learning and growing.
I am the room mom, I volunteer for lunch duty, I go on field trips and plan parties. I help with the reward programs and anything else I can while still running a household and working full time. I do that because it's my job and I want to and it makes my child happy when he sees his mom volunteering at his school. I am a partner in his education. But, when it's all said and done, I trust him to a teacher for 7 hours a day... and honestly, it was a big leap for me in the beginning. Now, it's just the way it is, but I am still so thankful that we have fabulous teachers.
