Hey mom and dad I know you are frustrated. You feel like your child's teacher doesn't like them. You feel like the school is against them. All you want is for your child to get a good education. All you want is for his/her teacher to teach them, everything. It can be hard leaving your precious cargo in the hands of someone else for 7+ hours a day. (I get it. I have a son in school too.)
You see, as a teacher, we don't just have your child. We have an entire classroom full of someone's babies. We have to make sure that every student in that classroom is well taken care of and getting the education that they need. It is our duty. It is our job. It is also our calling.
I understand you are frustrated and are now sending me an email every 3 hours because I wouldn't help your sweet boy tie his shoe. After all, you did say it was my job to teach him that skill and I did. What you don't know is for 3 months we sat at recess and went over and over "Over under around the tree..." and one day he finally got it!! I was so proud of him. I even let him get a prize from the treasure box. So when he asked me to help him tie his shoe, I told him no, you can do it now.
I understand that you are frustrated because your daughter came home and told you I wouldn't let her turn in her work. I get it that would frustrate me too. But see, I have been asking her for her work since last Friday and she kept telling me she would turn it in. Now it's past due and no, I wouldn't accept it. Remember when you told me it was my job to teach her to be responsible?
As teachers, we are constantly told that we are responsible for the way children act, what they learn, let's be honest, we are responsible for making sure they eat their lunch. It's not a fairyland here at school. No. Sometimes it's just the opposite. We are hit, kicked, cussed at, lied about, belittled, etc and still, we come back, every single day. We come back because we care.
We really do care about your child. We care so much that sometimes we take our own money to buy them lunch because you forgot to pack one. We buy them a coat when we see they are wearing short sleeves in 32 degree weather. We stay after school and tutor them to make sure they don't fall behind in Math and Reading. We sometimes neglect our own families because we are preparing the next day for your child. We see your child with great potential and that's why we expect the best from them.
So mom and dad, please remember when you are ready to beat down our door in anger, we have cared for your child in ways you can't imagine. Your child has disrespected us in ways you don't want to admit. But still, we love them and we will continue to teach them not just because it's our job but because we care. So if you want to do something, pray for us. Pray for wisdom that we can give each child in our class what he/she needs. Pray for strength. That when the days are tough we are tougher. Pray for understanding. Pray that we understand exactly what it is that your child needs. Pray for our safety. We never know what might enter our classroom. Pray for rest. Just because we go home and lay our heads down doesn't mean we are not thinking about the little boy who just lost his dad or the little girl who always wears shoes with holes in them. We are by no means perfect and we will/do make mistakes. But if we work together as a team we can make a difference in your child's life. We are in this together.
