Dear parents of my precious kindergarten students,
Good morning everybody. I wanted to make a video but I’m not sure if I could and not cry in the middle of it. Plus I’m in my pajamas listening to our last academic school year mass lol I wanted to write a letter to you ending this most special and unique year. I want you all to know what a blessing you have been to me. I came to St. Mel’s excited to teach after being tired for so long. Tired of trying to help my students while my hands were tied, tired of being part of a community that didn’t appreciate my efforts, tired of being the only voice to speak up and told to be silenced. But meeting Mrs. Barron gave me hope that I had found my place in the world at least for this juncture of my life. I had lost my dad, left the Department of Education and left an almost four year long relationship. All things that closed a chapter and shaped who I am today.
Every day I went to school happy to teach your babies. Happy to see their smiling faces, happy to yell and get frustrated when they wouldn’t listen, happy to get covered in stickers, happy to wipe their tears and get coughed on and sneezed on, happy to walk the halls with them always worried about keeping them with me and counting them a million times. I was excited to learn with them and have them teach me ways of becoming a better person and a better teacher. Happy to give them hugs and love when I didn’t have children yet of my own. I am Proud of their accomplishments, proud to have teachers and staff walk by and say “wow Ms.L they are really paying attention” or “you have got them under control they love you.” I fed off those compliments and even after a long day where I was exhausted and sick or tired, I felt accomplished and most of all loved by your children.
I’m sad we didn’t get to say goodbye in the way I had planned. Sad we didn’t get to go on field trips and watch their eyes light up towards things they haven’t seen before, sad I couldn’t have them help me clean the classroom, sing songs, make messes and make me crazy. But watching Father Fonti’s closing mass this morning made me realize I completed my mission. I taught your children to love. I was taught that God is with us to teach us to love each other and love all of God’s things that he put on this earth. No matter how far we are apart, as long as we show God’s love, we have him and each other in our hearts. Thank you for helping me educate your children, I know it wasn’t easy. Thank you for keeping me company with your laughter, texts late at night and your supporting words of encouragement and thanks as we navigated this virtual world of learning that I struggled with literally overnight to put in place in order to keep your babies in routine and secure and structured. I hope that I was a source of comfort and positivity throughout this storm of a school year. I got welcomed into your homes, your struggles, your disappointments and your joys.
Thank you for being a part of my kindergarten family, my first big class all on my own. I hope that you see the growth in your children because they were the glue that held me together. My little helpers who continuously made me laugh when I wanted to cry, made me smile when I tried to frown and turned my world that was falling apart back around. I love you all and wish you the most restful summer you can have. Please know that I appreciate you and all that you have done. Thank you for letting me love and teach your children. I will miss them tremendously and wish it were not over this way.
Please let them be little, they are only this way for a short time. Congratulations on the best Kindergarten year we could’ve asked for. You deserve nothing but the best.
Love always and forever,
Ms. L 🌈❤️