Saturday, February 4, 2012

Teachers

Every teacher I had after kindergarten, and all the teachers all four of my kids have had, have been measured against a pretty tough yardstick.  Which is ironic, given that my kindergarten teacher was a little person not much taller than many of her students.  Even though I was only five years old, I remember how she treated her students like real people.  Miss G played with us at recess, and due to her physical limitations she didn’t have to pretend to lose, and the kids didn’t mind if she won sometimes.  Many times I’ve wished to contact her and tell her how often I’ve thought of her over the years.

When Girlie started preschool she had an amazing teacher.  It was so hard to leave her, but she steered us toward the school district Early Intervention Program.  I’m sure we would have found out about it when Girlie started kindergarten, but getting a jump start on services was a great way to prepare for school.

Our family has been fortunate in that the district, and individual teachers, have always shown a willingness to help us find what works for Girlie.  They recognize that they are working with our entire family to some extent, because Girlie’s issues aren’t just limited to one place.  It was a great advantage for me to be able to work alongside some of them in an official capacity as a substitute educational assistant for a while, because it taught me a lot about the system from the inside, too.

Is it only trained educators who’ve taught me what I know about working with kids?  No – in fact, while I definitely appreciate how much formal education is involved in earning a teaching certificate, I believe the best teachers were already teachers before they ever went to college.  One of the best teachers I know doesn’t hold any certification.  Whether she chooses it as a career some day or not, my oldest daughter is a natural teacher, and has been since she was a child, herself.  She teaches to a person’s level of understanding whether it’s a preschool art project, or math, or knitting, or biochemistry, or handling sheep, and can easily change her approach and explain concepts in a different way to audiences from toddler age to adulthood.  I’m pretty sure that no matter how many times I’ve told her, she still doesn’t realize how gifted she is.

For all those folks who have been patient, helpful, caring, patient, skilled, kind, loving, and patient with Girlie and Boyo (and me!) – thank you.  From the bottom of my heart.  Because I honestly don’t know how we could have come so far without you. ♥

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