Smart Cookies

I want to put in electrical ink just how fortunate I am. I think about this on a daily basis, many times a day. When Ben leaves for work, when I drop the girls off, when I hear about their days. Each and every day I have reason upon reason to be thankful for a teacher.

It is a very special week, and I want to recognize it. :)

Words cannot explain the answer to prayers the ladies who love and teach my girls day after day are to me. When I say we are blessed to have them in our lives, I mean, we are BLESSED.
I started praying for them before the girls were even born, knowing that they would spend a lot of time with our children while we went to work. It's a hard choice to make, who you trust, where you value, what you desire for your kids, and who is going to provide it for them. Will they be patient, understanding, constructive, creative, engaging, loving, positive influences? Will they know how much they impact the kids? Will they care?

Ben and I comment frequently that we have been so fortunate to have such an amazing experience with the Academy the girls attend, and their teachers. It overwhelms my heart, really. Because leaving my kids was one of my biggest stresses in becoming a mom, and now that I am older and wiser (ahem,:), I realize that they have given and continue to give and teach the girls in ways that I probably could not have. They help them flourish beautifully.
Kaelyn is excited to go to school on a daily basis, and comes home with so many stories about learning. The school lessons they teach keep her engaged, and I love that she is excited about learning. They helped cultivate that. But so many of the lessons are not just from a book, but about life. How her teachers help her learn how to treat others, how to handle tough situations (when you are three that means how to handle it if you can't play with your favorite puzzle first), how to be responsible, follow direction, work as a team. When we talk about our days at dinner time, there is never a dull moment, and she is always happy to tell us what she learned about, usually she's really excited about snack (shocker), and that she tried really hard and 'stayed on GREEN today!'.

Alayna breaks into a full on ear to ear grin when I take her into her classroom. Her teachers are so warm and welcoming, and she basically dives out of my arms to give them slobbery kisses every morning. She recognizes them, and loves them.  I cannot begin to describe how that makes me feel as a mom, knowing that she feels safe and loved, not upset or panicked when I leave her. They know her. They keep her environment safe, clean (raise your hand if you know me and know how much I love clean and stress safety :), engaging, and fun. Yes, she considers fun slapping and banging toys, rolling underneath the cribs, and squealing as loud as possible.  I called one day to check on her when she had 'graduated' to the mobile infant part of the room, and her teacher said that she was pretty sure she was enjoying it on the new side. I asked if the other babies were keeping her entertained, and she laughed and told me that she was pretty sure our girl was the one entertaining all of them. I died.
She has been blessedly healthy, because we all know how good babies can be at sharing germs, and they work very hard at keeping all the creepy crawly germs at bay. And they feed her when she is hungry, which let's be honest, is her real love language right now.

I say all of that to say, if you are reading this and either are or have been one of the awesome ladies that have helped us raise our girls, WE LOVE YOU.
It really does take a village, and you are a big part of that village. You will always hold a special place in our hearts.
And if you are reading this and do or have ever helped take care of someone else's kids, you deserve a big hug, because it is a great thing that you do.


Then there's this other teacher... the handsome, ridiculously sweet-hearted one I married :). See, I know we all know how important teachers are, we've all had them. We all have a favorite. But folks, now I see the behind-the-scenes version too. Not only do I live with one, several of our nearest and dearest friends are teachers. It is a community. It is a LOT of work, a lot of dedication, a lot of perseverance, a lot of putting up with more external factors than I ever thought possible. A lot of self-discipline. A lot of patience, and way more than just teaching kids. And above all else, a whole lot of love. Ben LOVES these kids. He LOVES teaching, he values learning. He adores showing them new things. Finding new and creative ways to get their hands on, in, or around a new concept. When a 'just fine' lesson plan might do, he, without fail, tries to go above and beyond and make it more.
There is not a day that he does not bring some form of work home, either a little or a lot. This isn't an 8-5 job, where you clock in, clock out and forget about it. A teacher is constantly teaching or thinking about teaching, what could be taught, or thinking about what is going on with which students. When the kids are finally in bed, and I am on the couch zoning out after a long day, he may be on the couch with me, but I bet he usually has his school bag and computer in front of him too.

I could go on for days about how many ways and how much we should appreciate teachers (thanks, Mom, for having the patience of Mother Teresa to teach me! ;).  Whenever you feel led, show them, because it's never a bad time to show someone that you appreciate them, but especially this week, show them. If you have a teacher in any way, shape or form in your life, be sure to let them know that what they do really does make a difference.

“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.”
Henry Adams

xoxo dae