The heroic and dedicated hearts of teachers go above and beyond to care for their students. To celebrate all efforts of teachers near and far, here are just a few inspiring stories of teachers who made a big difference in the lives of their students, as written by parents. Teachers: we appreciate you so very much.
It’s funny – the teachers my daughters have had this year have all been amazing but it’s sometimes the littlest things that just fill your heart (and your kids) with such joy. Z won a trivia contest several weeks ago and for her prize, her teacher, the amazing Ms. Dodson, dropped off a bag of Jolly Ranchers in our mailbox. There were screams of joy, running to the mailbox, whoops of celebration. And tears- mine of course – of gratitude, for Jolly Ranchers in a mailbox.
My daughter’s teacher tailored her lessons while she was in quarantine for 3 weeks. They had just gone back to in-person learning and the teacher hadn’t planned distance curriculum. She took extra time to make daily lesson plans for my daughter so she could complete the work independently to avoid falling behind. She went the extra mile and incorporated things my daughter loves: unicorns, Harry Potter, and STEM activities.
An amazing band teacher who took on each change with passion and integrity. When he needed to switch to distance learning, he would set up an entire band in our basement and sit on that screen for hours teaching, listening, playing, and making the best of a terrible situation while always keeping his students engaged. When he found out he could go back into the school, he worked hard to find the appropriate instrument covers (much like a mask for instruments) so his students could still play in person. I think he is so respected at his school that the administration would help him purchase almost whatever is needed for his students. He does all of this with a smile on his face, with love and compassion to continue to keep the music playing even through this pandemic. He did this all for students even as he had to help his mother-in-law fight for her life to recover from COVID-19. It is always important to remember that teachers do this job because they want to make a difference in their students’ lives!
At the start of this school year, I was 37 weeks pregnant, so we opted for distance learning. This year was H’s teacher’s 1st year of teaching, so not only did [the teacher] need to get acquainted with the new school, but she also needed to learn how to teach distance learning and in-person learning at the same time. The teacher conferenced with each home learner every day, setting a precedent for other kids so they knew what it would be like to be a distance learner. Her teacher also dropped off learning materials at our home a couple of times! H was even able to virtually introduce her baby sister to her class! I felt so much relief and comfort watching her teacher and all the protocols they had in place to keep kids safe, that H was able to return to in-person learning. I don’t know what I would have done if I had to do a full year of distance learning with a newborn and post-partum recovery. I’m forever grateful to H’s teacher.
For all the caring, planning, connecting, learning, communicating, adjusting, and dedication you bring each and every day, we truly thank you.
