Last year I wrote an open letter to my son’s preschool teacher. This woman was incredible and totally irreplaceable. She loved my baby fiercely. When we left preschool for ‘big school’ I was sure I’d never find another teacher who we adored as much.
And then we met his Kindergarten teacher.
Dear Kindergarten Teacher: A Heart-Felt DedicationThe universe must be really into me at the moment because we were given the gift of another wonderful teacher.
It is teacher appreciation season and I couldn’t let that go by without declaring my appreciation to my son’s teacher. We started ours rough this year. Starting Kindergarten is hard for all kids but for kids on the autism spectrum like my son, it’s infinitely harder. There were moments I thought he might not make it through the year in a general education classroom.
I questioned my decision to take him out of special ed.
The inner turmoil a parent of a special needs child feels is intense. But somehow, his teacher was able to put my mind at rest (on more than one occasion!) that we had made the right choice.
A good kindergarten teacher is a gift.
The kind of gift that comes wrapped in golden paper with a giant bow on top and filled with your favourite things. The first year in school can set the tone for the rest of a child’s school career. I have genuinely never seen my baby thrive like this.
His kindergarten teacher has brought out a side of him I didn’t know existed.
He LOVES school (which is huge. He didn’t have a great relationship with learning until his final year in preschool). And now, like most parents, when he picks up a book and reads it, or writes a sentence, or does his maths, I am convinced that kid is a GENIUS. No pressure baby, but I know you’ve got this.
If I could tell every teacher I know just one thing, it would be this:
Your hard work is noticed, you are appreciated more than you can ever know, and your ability to love and nurture other people’s children is truly a gift. In short, teachers, we love you!
So to all the teachers out there:
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!
But an extra special thanks to my son’s Kindergarten teacher Ms. T; I am forever in awe of what you have done for my little boy and for our family.
*Cue tears and mike drop*
