Snarky, that’s me, right? Maybe not so much tonight….
I’m having a “moment” right now, they happen often but I don’t usually share them on my blog. You all know how much I love my kids and you also know (if you’ve read me for any amount of time) that I cry at everything. And I’m okay with that, it’s sort of like my badge of honor, you know?
Here’s the thing, and I’ve never talked about it before, Miss G has some trouble at school. She tries so very hard but it’s just not coming as easily to her as it has to Mr. C, her father and me. We didn’t have to work so hard at school. The Man and Mr. C are straight A type people. I could have been, had it not been for the interruption my vast social life created. I discovered very late in life that knowledge comes easily to me if I just take time to listen and let it in.
Miss G is a smart girl, she just has trouble focusing on things…and we are working on that. The thing is, I’ve known for years she was struggling. She wants to perform, she wants to please us and her teachers…she just can’t focus long enough to let things sink in and therein lies the problem. I’ve made a few waves at school but for the most part it fell on deaf ears. She’s had some great teachers (and for the record, I think all teachers have a degree of greatness for being able to do what they do…that I could not do for half a day without losing my mind) but for the past few years, maybe she just didn’t have the right fit. I adored her kindergarten teacher, still do. The wonderful teacher who comes to our house each week to encourage her and helps her with her lessons is nothing short of a saint. And then of course, there is Miss D who has been her babysitter since she was born and is also a teacher. She is a part of our family now. All of these women have shaped her, encouraged her, tried to show her she can and will do anything she sets her mind to.
And then there is her teacher this year, Miss R.
I love that woman.
She is the first person to look at my daughter and say that yes, she’s a little behind but she’s going to fight like hell to get her to where she needs to be. She works every day to build up little G’s spirit, all the while not coddling her. And then she works some more. At home. Reading books and sharing those that she thinks might help my daughter to see that she is amazing and will do great things in life.
Today she handed me a book in the cafeteria while I was there for lunch. She told me it was by her favorite childrens author and that it made her cry when she read it. She started to choke up a little, and then I choked up because I have a rule, “You will never cry alone if I’m standing there with you…”. She gave me the book and told me to read it to Miss G when she got home. This is the book:
Let me tell you, it made me look at teachers with a lot more awe than I already did and especially at Miss G’s teacher. It’s all about a teacher seeing the potential in every single child in her class and helping them to realize their dreams, no matter what their challenges are. I am not ashamed to tell you, I cried like a baby at certain parts….and Miss G had to get me a tissue to dry my tears.
I won’t give the plot away in case you choose to read this to your children. I will tell you that the end was a tribute to the real life teacher that shaped the author’s life and a description of all the amazing careers the children in her class went on to acheive….and believe me, it’s an impressive list. It made me think that someday, when my little G finds her path in life and her confidence, she might just look back on her third grade teacher and thank her for the lessons outside of textbooks that she taught. At least I hope she will…and if she doesn’t remember, I certainly will.
We all have stories about a teacher that shaped our lives. For me, it’s my algebra teacher from high school who looked at me one day and said, “You may fool everyone else with this act but you don’t fool me. You are smart, and I know what you are going to do with your life, you’re just not smart enough to see it yet.”
So now it’s your turn, tell me about a teacher that helped you or your child. Someone that shaped your life. If nothing else, it’s a great exercise in looking back at who you were and who you became because someone cared enough about you!
