Teachers Make a School

Last week was the kids’ school’s monthly Charter Champion celebration and I attended because I was the parent of one of the month’s champions. During this morning assembly, the teachers from each grade get up and say wonderful things about the month’s chosen students. Some write poems. Some are silly, some are poignant and some are both. No matter what the tone, each and every teacher’s speech is an eloquent and heartfelt explanation of  how each student displays whichever character trait is the focus of that particular month.

It’s an incredible event that really, never gets old. I’m always struck by how well each teacher knows their students and I’ve been known to well up when the teachers speak, even for kids who aren’t my own.

This month, my boy’s teacher focused on his singing ability. This is not something most people know about The Middle One, as he doesn’t share it much. Not only did his teacher notice but she thought to say something about it. The Girl’s teachers have, in the past, remarked on her quietly kind spirit and her determined attitude, which also aren’t the first things you might notice about this gregarious and outspoken young lady but rather are the parts of her that I am most proud of and take more than a passing glance to know about.

This is why we come back to this school and why I thank my lucky stars each night that my kids are part of it: The teachers. I know what it’s like to pour your heart and soul into a classroom full of children. I know what it’s like to attend extra-curriculur events because you care about “your” kids. I know what it’s like to be totally and completely exhausted but choose to stay up anyway because there is that one thing you wanted to get done for that one kid who might not have anyone else do it for him. I know what it’s like because for years I did it. Then, it became too much for me and I had to stop. But my kids’ teachers? Well, they are doing it every day. For never enough money and probably not enough gratitude, they show up and give their all and then some, because they choose to, for our kids.

Sure, I complain about the insanity at school pick up. Sure, I chuckle sometimes when I pass teachers running down the sidewalk as I drop my kids at the front door every morning. There are snafus in information and sometimes I question what they  are spending their time on. Of course, the place isn’t perfect and I am aware of that.

But every day, I drop my kids off and know that they will be in the charge of some of the most dedicated, hard-w0rking people in the world. These people know my kids and everyone else’s at their core and they teach and nurture; they joke with and support all of them accordingly. And that is about as perfect as it gets.