School is about to start for another year. Parents, take a moment and read this letter from a teacher. – Jim, Deb & Kevin
When I look around my classroom – I can’t tell you who crawled first, who walked before one or spoke in sentences by 15 months.
I can’t tell you if their parent’s breastfed or bottle fed.
No clue if they still wear pull-ups at night, because I’m sure many do!
I don’t know if they were poty trained at 18 months or 4 months old.
I don’t know if their mom ever left them to cry it out for a few minutes or if they strapped them to their bodies 24/7.
You know what I can tell – when I look at my kids in the classroom?
I can tell which families value kindness and manners in their homes.
I can tell when a child feels loved and secure at home — and at school – which sadly isn’t always everyone’s school experience.
I know who has pizza and movie Friday nights and which mom reads in different voices at bedtime.
I see how kids handle scary situations like thunderstorms.
I can see who has a solid routine at home and who has chores and responsibilities.
I can hear how you speak to your children – by how they speak to others.
When I look at my little friends I don’t see their milestones, I see who they are: their heart, their actions, their inner voice, their struggles and triumphs, and I see you! And all the love you pour into them.
We are always supposed to talk about testing and benchmarks and data during parent teacher conferences, and I had a mom last time look at me and say “I don’t worry about all the reading and math, she’ll get that. What I want know … is how is she as a person? Is she kind? Does she include others?”
It took my breath away and is something that will always stick with me!!
Go easy on yourselves parents, just love your little ones … it’s all they need.
