So Grateful

We had fabulous first days of school! The only glitch was a very late bus due to new routes, and that is a glitch I can handle.

The kids came home full of stories and excitement, and my mama heart was so happy that I had to have a really good cry last night...

Evan's teacher read the class The Kissing Hand and sent the kids home with Hershey's kisses. She told the kiddos as much as their families miss them during the day she misses them at night. Be still my heart. Evan said they read a lot and played a lot, and that is about the best day for my sweet boy.

Issa came home so excited that her teacher has the same favorite books as she does-- the Narnia series and Charlotte's Web. Her name had accidentally been left off the class word search, so her teacher was creating a whole search about her for today. The fact that she got to have that conversation with her teacher meant the world to her. And then, that dear sweet woman sent a letter home to the families asking them to write her a letter about our kiddos. She wanted to know their strengths and challenges, our dreams for them, and anything we wanted to know. I fought tears the entire time I wrote. Having a teacher that takes the time to read those--to want to know--that's a powerful thing.

Maybe it's because I am a teacher. Maybe it's because I teach teachers. Maybe it's just because I love my kids so fiercely. But kind, big-hearted teachers mean the world to me. Teachers who do those little things to build community and trust even before they worry about algorithms or syntax are gifts. If I am sending two pieces of my heart out into the world every morning, I need to know that there is someone waiting to protect their precious little hearts. God certainly answered that prayer again this year.