HOOSIER MAMA
By Farrah Alexander
A THANK YOU NOTE
TO TEACHERS
M
Y SON, DANIEL, IS STARTING
KINDERGARTEN THIS YEAR.
LIKE THE HOPELESSLY
NEUROTIC MOM I AM, I FIND
THIS IMPOSSIBLE AND AM MYSTIFIED BY
COMPLETELY ROUTINE ASPECTS OF SCHOOL.
Do they really expect me to put my precious
child on a SCHOOL BUS? Is he really going to be
gone ALL DAY? And he’s going to school EVERY
DAY? How is this possible? How can he possibly
go seven hours without his mama smooching
his little cheeks?
What has really calmed my irrational fears
and given me comfort before this transition has
been every interaction I’ve had with the teachers
and staff at my son’s new school. The only time I
felt my eyes actually welling up with tears at the
thought of my oldest child entering kindergarten
was when I heard the school’s principal tell the
parents about her morning routine of telling all
the kids she loves them.
I’ m n o t t h e o n l y o n e n e r v o u s ab o u t
kindergarten. Although he mostly talks about
kindergarten with excitement, Daniel also has
brought up aspects that make him nervous.
He’s nervous about going to a new school he’s
not familiar with and having a new teacher and
new students and not returning to the school,
teachers and friends he loved and knew so well
in preschool. His previous teachers and school
were amazing, so I understand his hesitation.
Like most kids, Daniel LOVES getting mail
108 EXTOL : AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018
and was excited to get a letter addressed to him.
When I read it to him, his eyes became wide
and bright. There was no hint of nervousness
on his smiling face. It was a letter from his new
teacher. She introduced herself and talked a little
about her family and how they’ve enjoyed the
summer. She wrote that she’s so excited about
the upcoming year and how fantastic it will be.
I was amazed that a busy teacher would use
the precious time she has away from school
to personally write every student a letter. As a
parent, getting that letter was getting reassurance
yet again that everything is going to be OK and
that even when I’m not with my child, he’s still
going to be with someone who cares.
In the letter, the teacher included her address
so Daniel could send a letter or picture back if
he’d like. Although this was all intended for my
son, the incoming kindergarten student, and not
myself, the nervous and neurotic mother, I’d like
to send a message to all the teachers heading
back to their classrooms this year.
To our teachers:
Thank you. Thank you for reassuring us and
calming our unfounded fears by reminding us that
you’re not only fully capable of keeping our kids
safe and providing them with a quality education,
you do all of this because you truly care.
You care about our children before you even
know them. You’re teaching them and preparing
them before you even enter the classroom for
the first time. We see how hard you work both
inside and outside of the classroom. We see you
go far beyond the basic duties of teaching all the
time. We see you and appreciate you.
It’s hard to see the babies we once held in
our arms grow into big kids entering school. It’s
hard to let go of the control we once had in their
daily lives. It’s hard to kiss our babies goodbye
in the morning knowing we won’t see them
until the afternoon. It’s hard to realize that this
time is fleeting and our babies aren’t actually
babies at all.
During this time, thank you for recognizing
that it’s a little hard and showing us kindness
and empathy instead of saying, “My god, woman.
He’s not a baby. He’s almost as tall as you and
can eat an 8 ounce steak.”
Thank you for not verbally acknowledging
that we followed the school bus in our minivans