An Open Thank You Letter to my Daughter’s Kindergarten Teacher

And just like that, today is the last day.

It sure is true, the minutes might drag on sometimes, but the years fly right by. It seems like just yesterday I was packing her princess back pack with all of those brand new school supplies. Her wide eyes staring at me as she asked a million questions about what school was like. Of course, I worried about her going off to school, but I knew she was ready. More than ready. She was incredibly excited and it was impossible not to be excited for her. She was eager to learn and boy did she.

There were so many favorite parts of Kindergarten for Emma – too many to count. She loved making new friends, learning new things, eating lunch in the cafeteria, playing on the playground, field trips, art, music, science, show and tell and many other wonderful activities. But I know her favorite part of Kindergarten was you.

 

Yep, there’s no doubt, her year was amazing because of you. I am not quite sure how to thank you for such a gift. We knew the moment we met you that you that you were the perfect pick and we were thrilled you would be the one teaching, nurturing, and loving our daughter. We knew in those first moments how kind and caring you were. We knew that Emma was in good hands.

We knew things were going well when I’d ask how her day was as she got off the bus – her answer was ALWAYS the same – “Great.” Everyday was great. Every single day was great. How great is that?

Because of you she can read. Words. And sentences. And books! She can do math, she can write I love you mommy and daddy. Your influence lingers here in our home.

Sure, there were some not-so-perfect moments – like the time she left her lucky stuffed dog, Molly at home, the time she got a nose bleed during recess, when she lost a tooth – her first tooth – you were there to comfort her and tell her everything was okay. Any tough or anxious moments, you were there. You encouraged her to reach for the stars; that her love for all things space was wonderful, and you made her feel like a super-star by telling her those brand new purple glasses she needed – made her look “very intelligent”.

For six hours each day, you were her guiding light, her all-in-one support system, her go-to.  She always felt comfortable enough to tell you when there was a problem.

I was amazed each time I saw you in that class with those kids. You have such an incredible way of keeping them calm, happy, and ready to learn. Your gentleness will leave a lasting impact on each of those children. Your love of teaching gives them a love of learning. That is literally the best and most appreciated gift you can give a child and her parents.

I’ll be honest, at the school carnival last week – when you told us you were moving up from Kindergarten – my husband and I were overly excited as we asked, “Will you be in the first grade??” 🙂  It was momentary elation, but we are okay waiting until the fourth grade when hopefully Emma will have you once again. The truth is, we wish we could just take you with us for each grade – all the way up.

We are sure she talked your ear off about space, dance and everything else she loves. 🙂 Thank you for your patience.

In reality, Emma is a pretty easy little one. She loves people and we are confident she will love all of her teachers – but I can tell you that she will never love any of them more than you. You helped her fall in love with school.

You also have a wonderful sense of humor as I found out with your email telling me that Emma was so concerned that she’d missed the cut-off to buy tickets to the carnival that she bummed $5 off her bus driver on the way to school!!! We sure got a kick out of that!!!

You never judged when we’d forget to return a form or sign some paperwork. You simply re-sent it with a happy-faced note. Thank you for that. You were concerned and caring when she was out of school for a week with Pneumonia. Thank you for that.

We are honored that you gave so much time and effort to our sweet girl. We are thankful for the kind words you said about her – that she was the class peace-keeper, a caring girl, so smart and also kind. We are very proud of her and we hope you realize that you also deserve some credit for each of those descriptive words.

You were always warm, welcoming and loving to my daughter and I’m not quite sure how to ever truly thank you for that. We know teachers are very much taken for granted sometimes, but we absolutely do not and could not take you for granted. We appreciate you more than you know. We know how tough your job is. We know how challenging it can be. We know it takes a very special person to do it well.

Thank you. For everything. It was a fabulous year.

And just like that, today is the last day.