A Mommy makes for a better teacher!

I had someone actually tell me this my first year of teaching. It almost hurt my feelings because in my mind I thought "I am a good teacher even though I do not have children". I thought about that comment for years and years and years. Never really crossed my mind COMPLETELY until I had Charlee Kate. Now, I completely understand what she meant by that comment. No matter what, I think and teach totally different NOW than I did 2 years ago or 2 1/2 years ago. When parents ask me "silly questions" or want information about their child that a "teacher" may think is a little off, I switch to Mommy mode and it all makes sense. Would I want to know that if it were Charlee Kate? How would I feel if that was Charlee Kate's teacher?

When students come up to me and ask me about something, feel sick, want to go outside for recess (and its 32 degrees so I say "no"), touch the walls, floors, etc... all the nasty things with germs and I get all over them to use anti-bac, I am thinking like a mommy. I am thinking about what I would tell Charlee Kate and what I would hope her teacher would tell her. Most of all, I love them and want them to feel safe. Academics is way down the line on the priority list. I care about what the teacher is teaching Charlee Kate, but first and foremost, I want my child to feel loved and feel safe for the 7 hours out of the day that she is NOT with me!

I write this post because I had a conference with a sweet parent today about something totally not related to academics. I never once talked to her from a teacher point of view, but more of a mommy point of view. I am with her child for 7 hours each day! My goal was to help her in whatever way I could because I would want the same thing. I pray for teachers that will love Charlee Kate and make her feel safe everyday! I also pray that I remember these things even when kids (or parents... b/c 9 times out of 10 they are worse than the kids) want to drive me crazy! LOL... The weekend is almost here!

Here are my VERY RANDOM pictures taken with my phone! Boy when I have the new phone in a few weeks these pics will be so much better, but it still won't replace the big dog camera! This little face reminds me of a lot each day!

On mornings that we don't have time to sit at the table for breakfast, I make sure her breakfast is made and then I serve it to her on a tray in front of her favorite tv show. Now that sounds like something I would like myself, LOL. We would much rather eat with her and about 80% of the time, that happens, but sometimes we have to resort to this during the work week.

Those allergies were getting to her this morning. You can see the watery eyes.

This was a very random picture sitting in the car on our way home from Gatlinburg.