Dear teacher,
On Monday morning a piece of my heart will show up on your screen in the shape of a 6 year old little girl. A little girl who has been counting down the days and the minutes, and who has been saving a special outfit for the day when she will officially become a first grader.
She loves you already, and because of that, so do we. She is so excited to work hard for you and to learn from you. She wants to do right by you. She wants to make you proud. In a sea of 1st grade faces, she hopes you will see her quiet spirit and know her kind heart. She sees you too. You are a person who will change her life and be a part of her story forever. You are her teacher, and because of that alone, our lives will touched by you. For all that entails, we feel deeply grateful. This year will be challenging, and frustrating, and wonderful. We know that you are doing your best. So are we. And especially, so is M.
This little piece of my heart is fiercely independent and incredibly determined. She is hard on herself, and yet she feels so intensely for others that she takes it on as her own. She wants everything to be right the first time. She will persist until she’s mastered it, and even then she won’t say a word. I’ve learned so much about her during these months at home, and in all honesty, I’m really going to miss her while she’s “away” at school. What a blessing to get to know your child on an even deeper level. I can’t wait for you to be able to do the same.
M is thrilled to be a part of your class. She is looking forward to telling time, improving her spelling, and mastering math facts. She wants to be a better writer, and she’s so excited for science experiments. She hopes you will tell her about new books, new games, and new ideas. Most importantly, and please hear this, she can’t wait to be loved. Above all, it’s the one thing our kids really need, especially now. So, give yourself grace if the website crashes or the link doesn’t work, because loving your students transcends all of that. Even a pandemic.
We are rooting for you. We believe in you. We wish you a wonderful year—-whatever that may look like.
Find the joy,
Jessica
Jessica McCauley, M.Ed. is a parenting coach/consultant. She draws on her background as a Montessori educator and Child Life Specialist to help families navigate the challenges of the early childhood years. Contact Jessica at http://smallhandsbigsteps.com/contact/ for more information or to schedule a consultation.