There she sits, on a call with her classmates and teacher. It’s not traditional but it’s making a significant impact. One I can already see the benefits from. Her smile, her enthusiasm, her sigh of relief. The faces that grace that screen are just as much her people as the ones who fill our home. Those are her friends, her teachers, and her home away from home.
Teachers like hers are what make this world exceptional. They give their students so much more than the expected standards and learning expectations. Teachers like hers, give them love.
She gives them love. She gives them attention. She gives them a comforting face and a peaceful spirit. She gives them each other. Familiar and friendly faces of all the people they share a learning space with. All of the people they share their typical day with. She gives them consistency in the chaos.
I watch as my sweet girl speaks confidently and quirky to her friends and teachers. I watch as her personality shines. I watch as she listens and intently takes it all in. She takes my breath away with her maturity and grace. Her teacher brings out a side of her that I don’t get to see often. The side of her that is absent of me, but full of all the things that make her great. Seeing this side of her is such a gift.
This simple moment with her classmates is one that will impact her even after this chat has ended. It’s something that will carry her until the next opportunity to see and hear the people she cares for and learns with. It’s a moment that I’m thankful for. For so many reasons. It’s a moment she needed. They all did.
As the call ends, her teachers send one final message. “Relax. Don’t stress. It’s all going to be ok.”
They tell the kids to be kind to their parents, to be kind to their siblings, and to do as much e-learning as they can. They tell them that if things start to get stressful, to pause and go with simplicity. To read with their families and do what they can. They tell them there will be plenty of opportunities to learn and grow.
They are calm and knowing and exactly what our children needed.
The call ends with each child laughing, making funny noises, and cutely shouting “Bye!”. It was a quick ten minute call, but boy, that ten minutes will carry my sweet girl for the days and weeks to come. All thanks to her teacher.
Thank you teachers. When you love our children like we do, we can feel it. Even better, we can see it on the faces of our children.
