Dear Teachers,
Thank you for dealing with my crazy this year.
In this whirlwind season of finale things – final tests, final grades and final fights over what my child is going to wear that day – I want to take a moment to press pause.
I want to acknowledge the bitter sweetness that comes with the end of the school year and saying goodbye to teachers that we have come to know, appreciate, love and perhaps most importantly, rely on.
While I’m sad that my child grew another year older in the blink of an eye, I’m beyond honored that you were a part of it and helped to shape the girl she is today.
It seems like just yesterday when I asked her to pose on the front step, with a sign that dictated her age, likes and dislikes – a tradition for almost all parents now that marks the beginning of a new school year. In reality, that was nine months ago and at the time I was so nervous for what the year would hold.
Being new to the school district, I wasn’t sure about the processes, the policies or the people. I was anxious about sending my daughter into a new building that I didn’t know or understand.
I know I was a pain in the beginning – emailing you multiple times per week about different issues my daughter was bringing up with me; someone kicking her under her desk, losing library books, homework not being done, being pushed on the playground and perhaps, most worrying of all, a threat made against her.
So, I appreciate, and I am grateful for your efforts to calm my crazy. I appreciate the emails back to me, the escalation of issues, the conversations with other students and the Vice Principal calling me personally to chat after Parkland – when I was so distraught that homeschooling became a very viable idea in my head.
When I look at you I see everything that you are – creative, giving, talented, compassionate, organized, thoughtful and perhaps most of all, patient.
These qualities are truly gifts that not everyone can possess, and you have gifted the academic world with your talents. You gifted my world.
In deciding to teach you picked out your place in a broken system where you are underpaid, generally under-appreciated and now tasked with the responsibility to help raise other people’s children, and possibly, guard them with your life.
You purchased classroom items with money from your pocket and decorated your rooms so that our kids – my kid – would feel at home and safe.
You decided that you would somehow find it within yourself to teach to the test because your district relied on you AND teach to the child because the child relied on you.
You decided to get up early to be at the front of the class and to stay up late grading papers and putting together lessons plans that would help the kids learn while also keeping them interested.
You worry about the slow learners, the kids that sit by themselves at lunch, the children that come from difficult homes and the children that don’t have enough to eat.
You give them all multiple chances to get the answer right and you allow them to make the mistakes that will help propel them forward to learn the lessons of life.
You deal with the small problems like teaching kids how to express their feelings with their words or showing them how to be kind to one another, so the large problems can be avoided.
You chose to care and with that you chose to give so many things that will make them remember you for the rest of their lives. You are a part of them now, perhaps even in some ways that their parents never can be.
Sure, this could be just another year to you. A year where you repeated the same lessons, the same homework and responded exactly how you have every year for your entire career.
But it wasn’t, and perhaps it never is.
As I watched you teaching them, I knew that.
I knew that even though you didn’t get to pick them, you appreciated each of them and loved each of them for the little people that they are – even the difficult ones.
I knew that even though you had tough days or days when you weren’t feeling your best, you put on a happy face, walked into the classroom and gave your time and attention.
I knew that you impacted them in ways that we can only dream of right now. I knew you helped shape their hopes and futures.
So as you clean off the walls, send home the art projects and enter final grades into the system, just know that I appreciate everything you have done to take my child, and all our children, to the next level of life.
You have taken my little dreamer with a big heart and shown her how to spell, read and solve simple math. You have given her the foundations of her future and inspired her to create, ideate and, if possible, dream even bigger about what she can accomplish in life.
As I prepared to take her last day of school photo this year, I noticed that the notes from her first day were still scrawled on the back side of the chalkboard. They say:
- Kindergarten
- 5 years
- Favorite Color: Pink
- Loves: Flowers & Descendants
- Wants to be: Teacher
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Sincerely,
A grateful mom
For more parenting experiences, click here.
I am the exact same way with my youngest son’s teachers. My son has ADHD and we had a VERY bad experience with one of his teachers, so now I am constantly emailing/checking in with his teachers.
What a sweet letter! I think it’s so nice when we take the time to thank teachers and let them know how much they are appreciated. Sometimes, we have a tendency to take teachers for granted.
I adore this post. Our teachers do so much for our kids. I’m so grateful that my children have had good teachers who care about their well-being as well as their education.
It is nice that you show your appreciation to a person doing a job that has a great impact on our kids. They get paid but not enough and they are so underappreciated.
That is such a sweet letter. Teachers are so special!
❥ tanvii.com
Always nice to be thought of and told what a great teacher and work you have done with the kids. Makes it all worthwhile. I would keep that one and read for when you have a bad day.
It sounds like these teachers really go the extra mile! This is a really sweet message to all of the amazing teachers out there!
I love this letter. Teachers do SO much and deserve only the best. I tend to give them tons of gift cards to Starbucks, because I figure they could use the caffeine.
My little one isn’t in school yet, but I know once she is I will be thanking her teacher like crazy.
Teachers definitely deserve a huge thank you! I can’t think of enough for teaching my child! He is incredibly intelligent and I know a lot of that has to do with his teachers. This is a great post.
I could totally write something similar to my kids’ teachers. It is a bittersweet time of year but I’m ready for less schedules!
I really enjoyed reading this post. Teachers play such a major role in our children’s life. I’ve been so fortunate for all of my children to have so many amazing teachers throughout the years.
My grandfather’s wife is actually retiring from teaching next week and I know it is a bittersweet event for her. Her job was never easy, but always rewarding.
That’s a very nice letter of appreciation. I am glad your child’s teacher has been such a good help to you both!
How thoughtful and heartfelt! Teachers play such an important role in kids lives and we cannot thank them enough! I love how you worded your feelings!
Fantastic letter and a beautiful acknowledgement of such an important job. Teachers don’t get nearly the recognition they deserve. A good teacher can change a child’s life.
What a beautifully penned Thank you letter! Teachers do so much for us every day and they really do inspire all of us, not just the children.
This is such a lovely and heartfelt letter. Teachers deserve all our gratitude and much more.
There are some teachers that make such differences in their students’ lives and they don’t get enough credit for it! I love this letter: so heartfelt and true.
I love everything about this letter. As a teacher I can appreciate it even more!
This is so nice. I feel the same, especially “thank you for dealing with MY crazy”, because I feel like sometimes I was crazier than my kids!
I started crying today after my son came home today because it hit me that his last days of Kindergarten are near. Tomorrow is his graduation!! His teachers were very special.
Teachers definitely don’t get all the credit they deserve. 🙂 It’s ALWAYS great to thank them.
This is sweet. I could have written this letter. I will someday. I’ve learned how to appreciate teachers recently when my son attended a summer playgroup/class — his first ever. He was always crying because he had sepanx, but his teacher remained patient with him. This is the reason he loves her and is fond of her.
So beautifully written! As much of a pain that you MAY have been, you are also the kind of parent teachers surely appreciate! That was such a wonderful thing to do and I am sure it made the teacher’s day!!
I feel like I need to write “thank you for dealing with my crazy” letters to lots of people! LOL!! Love this idea!!
This is such a great letter. I think I need to do something like this as well. Very well written too!
How sweet – it is kind of sad to say goodbye to the school year. I am certainly happy for summer and sleeping in though.
That is such a sweet letter to received by a teacher and I am sure that teacher go to with extra mile teaching this kid. And its definitely a good thing to say thank you with our teachers.
Love this! Such a sweet letter of appreciation!
As a teacher, I really appreciate a letter like this from a parent. It’s nice to know you’re appreciated and that your hard work is acknowledged. Our job is not easy but it’s definitely worth it!
Teachers are pretty amazing. I have a few friends who are teachers and seeing what they go through gives me a new appreciation to how blessed we are to have such awesome people in our lives.
This is such a sweet letter! Teachers work so hard and deserve more appreciation than many often give them.
What a beautiful way to honor teachers. My son has only had his swim coach who he is still with and his preschool teacher who just loved and adored on him. I enrolled him after my Mom died and her name was my Mom’s name…she really was attached to him and made the issues I was dealing with so much easier by loving on him so fondly.
This was so sweet and heartfelt! Everything in this post is true and warmed my heart!
I think it is so vital to appreciate the members of education who have shaped out little one’s minds. I really don’t think they hear it enough!!
this is so sweet. i dont think i could ever be a teacher. my patience is barely enough for my own children. their sacrifices are truly appreciated
Asa teacher and a mom. I think you for this. although we dont expect the extra appreciation we love it
Being a teacher and a mom, I find this very heartwarming…It’s impossible to explain the way you feel about your class as a teacher. Sometimes good and sometimes bad, each child stays with you a little when they leave:)
I love this note! I think the whole world can use more gratitude like this, but especially teachers. They do SO much and deal with so many different personalities. It takes a special person to teach! 🙂