Yuletide ode to my son’s new teacher
A few months ago, my family moved to a different city, my almost-7-year-old started a new school, and his new teacher has been just wonderful.
The week before the first day of school, my son’s new teacher emailed me to find out a bit more about him.
He has ADHD so she wanted to check in on the kinds of things he’s interested in, what he struggles with, and what sets him off. I, in the oversharing approach I’m renowned for, replied with what can only be described as a novel, including that his favourite animal is a penguin and he loves learning about space.
On his first day, as we walked towards his classroom, he leaned in to me and whispered, ‘‘Mum, I’m feeling a bit nervous’’. I replied, ‘‘That’s OK, buddy. I’m feeling a bit nervous too. Let’s do this together.’’
But both of us needn’t have worried. The new teacher welcomed my son with his very own soft toy penguin that he could name and keep at school so if he ever felt lonely or scared or just a little bit down he’d always have a friend with him. The kids presented him with ‘‘welcome to our classroom’’ cards with penguins and planets drawn all over them. And my son leaned into me and whispered, ‘‘Mum, I’m not nervous any more. You can go home now.’’
Teachers are God’s gift to all mankind. While most of us aren’t the powerful people who could pay them more, the very least we can do is give them a great Christmas gift.
First things first: chocolates. You can’t ever go wrong with a box of chocolates (although if you consider that one classroom might have 25 children in it, that could mean one teacher ends up with 25 boxes of chocolates which might not be ideal).
A short and very unscientific survey on the teachers I know gave me a few more Christmas gift ideas. A voucher to a local restaurant, supermarket, bookstore, or mall. A plant. Homemade baking or lollies. A bottle of wine. Joining forces with the other parents of kids in the same class to buy one gift.
Overwhelmingly, though, the verdict was that a letter or homemade card recognising the effort that the teacher had put into the year, and the impact they’d made on their students, was the most rewarding end-ofyear gift. Most teachers didn’t actually want a ‘‘thing’’; they wanted appreciation.
Especially in communities where families might not be able to add another Christmas gift to the list, a letter, card, or last-day-of-the-year cuddle was all they really wanted before they headed off on their own summer holidays.
Over the next few weeks, as school and work wind down for the year and the prospect of (potentially) sleeping in and spending more time on the deck with something cold in your hand becomes more of a reality, take a few moments to appreciate your kids’ teachers. It’s been a big year for you and your kids, but it’s also been a big year for their teachers.