Parents

Teachers get way too much credit and way too much blame for how well students do in school.  Children like Ethan who have wonderfully supportive parents like Mandy have an advantage over other children.

My class was very blessed to have 9 families volunteer as chaperones for our Kindergarten field trip to Cox Farms in October, including Mandy.  I had perfect attendance at Parent Teacher Conferences, where my message was pretty simple:  parents need to spend time reading with their children.  I was on the phone with parents at least once per week with parents.  After I called one night to share something wonderful a child had done, I received a follow-up email the next day from a parent who said how happy I had made her.  After I suggested that many of my students could benefit from reading Dr. Seuss independently, I had children coming to me to proudly recite rhyming words from Hop on Pop.

One student who left with his family for an extended visit to the family farm in Sudan took pictures and drew pictures and wrote about his experience in a journal, just as I had suggested.  I had 5 parents show up at my going away party, and left with a bag full of gifts.  I approached every day as just doing my job, yet parents appreciated my efforts as if what I was doing was special.  I appreciate being appreciated.  Thanks to all the wonderful parents who are there for their children and the teachers who are there to serve them.