✨A Special Teacher✨
Reflection and gratitude
This post is a reflection and a dedication to our daughter’s teacher, ATR.
Muchas gracias por todo su esfuerzo, dedicación, apoyo, amabilidad y cariño. ¡Se lo agradecemos muchísimo! 🤗
Our daughter ZDB has completed her first year in pre-school, she began her journey at the age of 3. In Spain children start primary school at age 6 unlike in the UK at age 5.
I honestly can’t believe it’s already the last day, this academic year has flown by! Our daughter’s teacher ATR has been one of the kindest people we have met! She is very supportive, caring and works with such grace and heart.
As a teacher and MFL leader for many years in England and with some time teaching in France, those of you who know, will appreciate how much I care about teachers.
This is why I started the Hard Education series and why I explore ways to show my gratitude for teachers especially now being a teacher-parent.
Teaching is not just a profession, it becomes a part of who you are.
An example is when I used to use social media, I couldn’t take off my teacher hat from wanting to correct grammatical errors:
When I write, I am constantly correcting my own errors…
With all that said, we do know how to enjoy life too 😅, being a teacher doesn’t mean it’s always about correcting, organising and planning!
When you work with younger children, your inner child comes out, you will play games, dress up as characters, use different tones of voices and sing!
Outside of school, I can only speak for myself and former school colleagues, we always made our events fun, full of laughter, funny stories, a prank here and there…
I’ll never forget when a group of us went out to our favourite Turkish restaurant Selale, they would always play a particular birthday song which made us all laugh (you have to listen to it) and we would all join in and dance… Well on one occasion, one of our students and his family happened to be there and they sure let us know!
Laughter, singing, dancing and whichever form of enjoying life is essential for all of us so I hope all educators out there enjoy the summer!
What being a special teacher means to me
A teacher that is special ensures that they are role models for their students. They engage them with a range of pedagogical activities with genuine passion.
It takes much heart, effort, understanding and a whole lot of work to consistently show up in this way and reach the minds and hearts of a class of students. This can be exhausting to say the least as well as incredibly rewarding.
ATR is that special teacher.
In one of our meetings with her teacher, my husband shared our collective thoughts that we wished she would be her teacher next year!
There are no words to express how grateful we are to have our daughter feel so happy and settled. She is a child growing up in two worlds, learning two languages, multiple cultures and this can have its challenges for children in similar situations.
Anything worthwhile in life, takes its own pace to reveal its multitude of benefits.
When school staff understand the dynamics of a child and make efforts to reach them where they are, it speaks volumes. Her teacher and the support staff have done this, they use both languages to help our daughter feel understood and that she belongs.
The school also provides English lessons for all students so this also assists her to further engage in both languages.
She started the school reluctant and anxious for the first week, crying and clinging to me at the school gates… After a couple of weeks she began to transform to a child who enjoyed school.
Yet the biggest change in reflection was when she switched classes, she was hesitant on the first day but by the end of the day was ecstatic!
My husband jokes that she has also transformed outside of school into a “local celebrity” as many children call her name when we are out locally.
She absolutely loves her school and ATR has really been a huge reason why she feels content within the school community.
Thank you so much to ATR and all the staff who have supported our daughter’s transition stage and whole school year.
Thank you for all your patience, kindness, support, dedication and care you have shown to our daughter and to us.
With much gratitude,
𝓒 𝓢𝓲𝓶𝓸𝓷𝓮 ✨
Aww, I love this. What a beautiful tribute and thank you to a teacher who clearly made such a difference. And it’s so true, teachers like that are the ones we grow up and never forget. I recently had lunch with my uncle, and he struck up a conversation with a woman who walked in. It turned out she was a teacher at my old elementary school, and not just any teacher, but MY very favorite 2nd grade teacher! I never forgot her because she was so kind and caring. She became a safe haven for me during a time when I was really struggling with an abusive 3rd grade teacher. She even stepped in and advocated for me and other students when we needed someone. Teachers like that stay with you forever.
I later had a teacher in 10th grade who made a huge difference, too. I was being bullied, especially in his class, and I had started shutting down. I went from doing well to failing. One day he pulled me aside, told me he saw what was happening, but that he also saw my potential and didn’t want me to throw it away because of bullies. That conversation changed me. I turned it all around, got an A in his class, and years later ended up working as a legal secretary/paralegal. His class was business law, so in many ways he helped put me on that path. Eight years later, my sister ended up in his class, and I sent a thank-you note with her, telling him how much his kindness had meant and where life had taken me. She said he got very teary when he read it.
So yes, teachers like ATR matter so much. The care they give can stay with a child for a lifetime. What a beautiful gift she has given your daughter. 💜
What a great write in gratitude. I myself like you definitely pen down appreciation to those who have impact in my life or my children’s. But this was definitely an extend G.J post. The teacher will definitely take this as a trophy to her heart. 💫