Dear Teacher, We All Need a Mrs. V

Dear Teacher,

As the week before holiday break commences, I know you're exhausted. You've been beaten into the ground by children lacking discipline, ungrateful parents, and rounds of illness spread throughout the classroom. On top of that, you're expected to follow policies and guidelines often created by politicians without a day's experience in a real classroom with actual student hearts. You're acutely aware that the work you put in does not come close to matching the paycheck you bring home and with the year's worth of school supplies nearly gone, you'll likely be contributing to your kiddo's needs from your own pocket (if you haven't already). If you have a big smiley face on your calendar for the day you lock up your room for break and feel like you're crawling toward the finish line, you're not alone.

Let me preface this by saying while I'm not a teacher in the traditional sense, I am grateful to be surrounded by them. From Miss Melissa, who teaches our daughter's nature-based preschool (you can read about her story here), to my band director mother who still volunteers to help out at contest time, to my sister-in-law and many close friends and clients... I've witnessed the big heart, courage, and energetic burnout of the school teachers, faculty, and staff I love.

Dear teacher, if this is you and you're reading this over your second cup of coffee as you drag yourself through this last week, I'd like to share a little reminder of how tremendously you matter.

Many moons ago there was a middle school girl with big dreams and a pencil. She was bright and kind, but often filled with insecurities as she compared herself to her intelligent and focused older siblings. She struggled to understand the complexities of math and though she treasured her friendships, she frequently felt as though she didn't fit in with her peers. Unaware of her empath gifts, the young girl sensed everyone's emotions and energy strongly. This often felt overwhelming, especially when navigating the intense changes and challenges of middle school.

(if you haven't guessed it yet... this girl is yours truly)

But there was one classroom that felt like home, the middle school Language Arts and Reading room where Mrs. Vint taught. The back wall was lined with bookshelves housing a variety of favorites for any reading level. Here you could find "Where the Red Fern Grows", the Laura Ingalls Wilder series and "The Giver" in the midst of both classics and new releases. The energy of nurturing, motherly love poured from Mrs. Vint and she taught with just enough sense of humor to survive the wild menagerie of middle school. What I loved most was being given time to explore and freedom to do so. We had free reading time to devour our favorite books and explore new ones. She also read to us as a class, something that made us all feel loved even if we claimed ourselves "too old" to be read to. We talked about life, and felt safe to share out emotions. Then there was my favorite time... our middle school Writer's Workshops, where we were to submit a certain amount of points worth of work but the creative writing projects submitted were completely our choice.

For an imaginative child with her head often in the clouds, this was a dream! I was given freedom to create, and put to paper the many stories and ideas that floated through my brain. My light came alive during this time of expressing the thoughts that ached for an outlet. Here this light was not dimmed, nor expected to follow unnecessary directions or strict regulations. I was simply invited to shine and encouraged to keep doing so long after leaving those classroom seats.

Dear teacher, you may unknowingly be a "Mrs. V" to someone within your classroom today. I'm sure at the time she was unaware of doing anything extraordinary. She was simply providing me the same love and guidance given to all of her students.

Some young person who feels unseen feels safe to shine their light within your presence. Another feels encouraged by you to explore a gift or opportunity they didn't know they had. Not because of the curriculum or standardized tests, but because of who you are and how you love.

Relax, refresh, and nurture yourself over break. You absolutely deserve it. And may you go into the new year with certainty of the incredible difference you are making in a child's life.

Love & Healing,

Ashley Kay

(Share this reminder with a teacher you know and care about!)