The school year draws to a close and I reflect back in all of the things that my children have learned. Some of them are academic, some of them are social and some are neither, but it has definitely been a year of growth.
I am amazed at the amount of work and effort it takes to educate the children. It is a balance between state and board requirements, assessments and charts and doing a good job and doing what is right. Add to that the fact that some kids come with other needs that have not been met and the likelihood of success is greatly diminished. Despite the limits, complications and everything else that comes to light while the kids are school, the lesson continues, the learning flows and the teachers push a bit more, the kids learn a bit more, and we all belief just a little bit more.
I have learned a lot this year too. I have learned that there is no way that you can be with these children for such a long time and not become emotionally involved. My own heart swells as they come to me with their little arms outstretched and hug me as their day begins. There is so much more than learning when you are involved with these children.
There is love.
If there was truly a labor of love it is that of teaching a child. It is the building him or her up with so much faith in themselves that they believe in their little hearts that they will accomplish that which they must do. It is earning their trust enough that they can come to you anytime and building respect so that they may function inside their little community. It is coming every morning and leading them into a love of learning so that they not only learn how to add and subtract, but they also learn how to think and make good choices.
The teachers at Wilmington Schools have taught me to look into the eyes of each of these children and to know their story and to believe in them and to give of myself to them, completely. It is their passion in developing each of these little beings, their believe that they can be so much more than we imagine that keeps them at it, every morning, every day, for 365 days a year, for you don’t really believe that the love and concern stops when they move on to the next grade do you?
To the teachers who have given everything they have to give, who have pushed, who have prodded, who have expected more of the children and have shown me how to be helpful and assist in their learning process, I am eternally grateful. Thank you for believing in my child and thank you for the love and dedication you have shown. A little bit of you will forever remain in my child and I am blessed that they have learned so much from you.
Even in high school the teachers have an integral part of the kids’ life. The teachers they feel they can go to and the teachers they feel they can reach out to; those are the ones that they will remember forever.
To all of the teachers everywhere, thank you.
Mrs. Barley, Mrs. Spahr, thank you for allowing me into your classroom, for teaching me by your wonderful example how to reach each child and for allowing me to be a part of their life. What I have given seems so little compared to what I take away, yet I will be back, again and again and look forward to working with you again.
Mr. Wallingford, Mr. Geggie, being able to reach and talk to a teenager and inspiring them to more is a task that seems daunting, yet you manage it with such ease. Aside from my personal experience from meeting you, I hear the kids talk about you and I am grateful for your dedication and your gift. Thank you for being a bright light in the nebulous path of teenagedom.
And Mrs. Alford, wherever you are, thank you for believing in me; your words follow me wherever I go, gracias mamá.
Claudia Martini-Garlo
Wilmington
As submitted to the Wilmington News Journal, Wilmington, Ohio
May 28, 2009
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