The first day of school comes quickly for families. It is the day we place our most precious gifts into the hands of someone who begins as a stranger, yet over time becomes so much more. While every family’s experience is different, one thing remains the same: teachers show up ready to meet children exactly where they are.
Day after day, we trust teachers to care for and teach our children in ways we could never fully replicate. Teachers do not just educate; they help shape who our children become.
I will never forget dropping our daughter, Destiny, off at her first school, Sunshine Nursery. The teachers, Miss Leanne and Miss Shelly, had to gently assist while she clung to my leg every day for the first few weeks. Was that hard? Absolutely. My baby, my everything, crying my name as someone else carried her away.
But those teachers did not just take care of her. They took care of me, too. They would call to reassure me that the moment I was out of sight, she was okay. It was something new for both of us, and they knew just how to handle it. I knew right away she was in a safe place with teachers who truly cared.
Our son, Chance, was the opposite. He always ran right through the door. When he met his kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Little, he came home talking about how kind she was and how happy he was. Watching how differently children adjust makes you realize how much patience and understanding teachers bring into every classroom. They somehow just know what each child needs.
For Destiny, that fear returned as she moved on to her next first day of school at Hodgdon. I still remember the teacher who saw us in the hallway, came over with a calm smile, and gently lifted her onto his shoulder as she cried, carrying her down the hall because he somehow knew I needed help, too.
Looking around, I saw other families going through the same thing, holding back tears while teachers stepped in with patience and understanding. This is not just a job for them; it is who they are.
These experiences were just the beginning of my appreciation for teachers.
Then came COVID-19.
Like so many others, our world shifted overnight, and suddenly we were forced to stay home, and my husband and I became their teachers. Trying to teach from a textbook while managing assignments, emotions and daily structure was overwhelming. It was at that moment I gained a whole new level of respect for what teachers do every single day.
Eventually, school resumed, and our children once again came home with stories, experiences, and growth that went far beyond anything I could have imagined teaching them on my own.
Our family is incredibly grateful for all of the teachers who have been part of our children’s journey. Before we met, my husband raised four boys in this community who have grown into intelligent, hardworking young men. Chance has worked his way up to seventh grade, while our daughter has grown into a confident sixth grader, all guided along the way by many teachers. Destiny has even found “her person,” that one teacher she knows she can turn to as a growing young girl with big emotions, someone who supports her far beyond the classroom.
Teachers are a shoulder to cry on, a safe place, a source of knowledge, and a steady presence. In classrooms across our communities, they are often the constant children rely on, no matter what they may be facing outside of school.
For much of their childhood, our children spend more time with their teachers than almost anyone else. Those relationships shape not only education, but a true sense of belonging. School becomes a second home. And teachers become family.
So how could a teacher not be one of the most valued individuals in our lives?
Teacher Appreciation Week is May 4-8. To all the teachers in our community, thank you for everything you do.
Laura Blake is a Linneus resident and mother of two children.
