Now that my kids are older, I don’t see their teachers every day or even every week. But I hear about them. I hear about them at the dinner table and in the car on the way to soccer practice. I hear about things they say and projects they assign. And though the kids’ sentences do contain some ughs and the ritual homework kvetching, they also contain sparks. And light.
So to the teacher whose door was always open, and whose idea of “no child left behind” had nothing to do with the federal government, but everything to do with caring about each and every kid: thank you.
To the teacher who turned the classroom into a real community, who had the kids writing and sharing and laughing and reaching: thank you.
To the teacher who encouraged her students to mine their individual strengths and senses of humor all year long: thank you.
To the teacher who noticed when something was bothering one of her students, even though she had a bazillion others: thank you.
To the teacher whose homework assignments included “go outside”: thank you
To the librarian who sifted through book after book, matching the right one with the right kid: Thank you.
To the music director who changed our lives: There are no words, but I’ll start with the basic two. Thank you.
Last year, I wrote a bunch of summer writing prompts for kids and adults (find them by using the search and looking for key words “summer writing.”) I’ll post some prompts this summer, too, as I think of them. But I’ll start with this one: Write a thank-you note to a teacher or staff member. You can always start by adding a word of thanks in the comments, here