Acknowledgment

My kids are still pretty young, so we haven't encountered a whole lot of teachers yet, but we met one this year that I feel the need to acknowledge.  Hummingbird's first grade teacher was just terrific.  She did her job, and more.  She did an excellent job teaching the kids, both academics and how to treat others.  She was also fabulous about communicating with parents both when our children were doing well and when there was a problem.

As the year ended, we were sad to hear that she wouldn't be here next year.  Her husband got a job out of state, and they are relocating.  The last day of school went by in a flash, and the bus kids were hurried off without much time for goodbyes.  When Hummingbird arrived home, it really hit her that she wouldn't be seeing Mrs. Anderson again.  She was teary-eyed and sad most of the evening, and finally, she asked me if we could have a play date with Mrs. Anderson.  I told her I would ask, and perhaps, we could at least visit her at school to say goodbye while she was cleaning out the classroom.  

When I received a reply email from Mrs. Anderson, Hummingbird was so excited that she had agreed to meet us at the park to play.  So, a few days ago we went to the park for a play date.  I thought we might play for 30-45 minutes, eat a picnic lunch, and then let Mrs. Anderson go.  I was wrong.  Instead, we played for two wonderful hours.  They played on the swings, the seesaw, talked through pipes, and estimated and measured distances around the park (a little learning amidst the play).  Hummingbird had so much fun, and promised to send pictures and updates from her upcoming vacation adventure.

It really is an extraordinary teacher who takes such an interest in her students to take time out of her own day, when school's out and she's packing for a big move, to share some special one-on-one time with a student.  We were very lucky to have Mrs. Anderson in our lives, and I hope we are able to keep in touch with her despite the geographic distance ahead.

Thank you, Mrs. Anderson.