Love Letters Part Five

Over the years of teaching, I have received several notes and letters from students and you can't keep them all, but I've kept some. I have also kept a book made for me by each one of my classes at the end of the year. Those won't be going into the dumpster!

These are from cards made by some of the Kindergarten students that I worked with when student teaching.

"Dear Miss C. Thank you for coloring frm IvaN"
"Dear Miss C. Thank You for heping uas we lrd a lot from you we lrd how to mack forg and lrd to mack Butterflys. love Jade" (Thank you for helping us. We learned a lot from you. We learned how to make frogs and learned to make butterflies.)
"Dear Miss C. Thank you for hlbeine (helping) uout! (out!) Tanita"
"Dear Miss C. Thank yoy for (teacher writing: coloring good!) Jose"
"Dear Miss C. Thank you for HLP us LrNing Chris" (Thank you for helping us learn.)
"Dear Miss. C. Thank you for nis teching. and yor rel hord wrc. for tims win you teching in yor rel teching clas! Love carly" (Thank you for nice teaching. And your real hard work. For times when you teach in your real teaching class!)

These are from my first year of actual teaching (First Grade):

"I like fst grad! I like Miss C. I have made a llat of now frands in my clas. Samr is her! Naxt yer I wall be in Sacnd grad! I wall have a new techr and a new clas! Even tho it wall be difrnt, I wall tri my bast! Damon" (I like first grade! I like Miss C. I have made a lot of new friends in my class. Summer is here! Next year I will be in Second Grade! I will have a new teacher and a new class! Even though it will be different, I will try my best!)

If you know a teacher personally...you know how many parents they deal with constantly! Most times the encounters are in passing or during conferences and unfortunately, most of them just provide the teacher with more work and more to document. The positive feedback from parents never amounts to the less than positive situations they have to deal with, so those positive moments mean so much to teachers!

"Dear Miss C,

You have made a tremendous difference in our Ceili's life and for that we wish to thank you. Although first grade was not a breeze for her, she has grown and developed in so many ways. Now she constantly reads to me and is always writing about her thoughts and feelings and wishes. Your influence on Ceili's life will stay with her as she continues to learn and grow. We know she has enjoyed having you for her teacher and that she will miss you. We wish you well and once again thank you for the positive influence you have been.

Sincerely, Mr. and Mrs."

Even better than the letter was a conversation I had with one parent my first year of teaching Third Grade. I wish I could transcribe it here for you, but I don't think I can. After a particularly rough day, this mother called me to encourage me to keep doing what I was doing. Regardless of the negative vibe that was surrounding me and how frustrated I was with the focus on test preparation, she wanted me to know the impact I had made in her son's life. I was navigating my way through a new school and new grade and focusing on the whole student for each of my students as much as I could. She reaffirmed my focus by telling me how his confidence and self-esteem had risen, his social skills had improved, his academic skills were improving, he was blossoming into a young man and she believed I was the key factor in all of these changes. Most times, we rarely get such positive feedback from parents.

Here are some letters from third graders:

In a little book she made me: "Eastster Day!" on the cover. "go miss Williams!!!!" on page one. "Dear miss Williams your the gratis techr in the wrld. you aor so fau! yor stadu, KayLee" on page two. (Dear Ms. Williams, You're the greatest teacher in the world. You are so fun! Your student,) "for Valitin bay" on page three, "for crismis" on page four, "happy now yare bay" on page five. Each page was full of illustrations as well!

"Dear Mrs. Williams, I'm really sorry for not lissoning. And I just want you to know that to me your not just a teacher your like my best friend. And I know sorry dose always fix it. But I wanted to apolujis anyways. P.S. I drew these pictures for you love Jasmin"

"Dear class, My favorite thing is to write if I I'm not forst to. I get writers cramps a lot. Even when I'm writing to you now. Mirs. Williams is a wounderful teacher. My teacher chart has Mrs. Williams at the top. I'm routing for you Mrs. Williams don't stop till the very end. You toght me everything I know about miltipling. Thank you. Your the best teacher ever. I would stay in your class forever but I can't sorry. Your old stuedent, Trynity"

Here are some notes from peers:

"Mrs. Williams gets the golden bear (a little trophy passed around our staff) for orchestrating and planning the visit and training with NASA. It was a great opportunity for our students and staff alike. "the sky's the limit for Butner Education."

"The Golden Bear Award goes to Mrs. Williams. She is an outstanding teacher. She always comes up with the innovative ideas to use in the classrooom, and she doesn't mind sharing with her colleagues. She is a perfect role model for "teach smarter, not harder."

"To: Anna Williams, For being such an important part of the 3rd Grade Team. You are always willing to share ideas and materials, you take responsibility for things that benefit the whole team. In spite of all the changes this year, you always keep in mind what's best for kids. I am glad that you are on my team!"

From a supervisor in 2008: "Anna, I admire your ability to show so much zest when expressing yourself and I appreciate the fact that you are willing to contribute to all discussions. I notice that you are a real independent worker, a trait valued in a school setting. I see your determination and the effort you have made to improve student achievement and I want to thank you for that effort. Thank you most of all for being the very special person you are! I wish you and your husband the best Holiday Season ever!"