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Sunday, August 9, 2015

Sunday Letters

I don't know if Michelle is hosting Sunday letters today or not, but it was time to post some! I have some things to say.
http://www.bigtimeliteracy.com/
Dear Dillards Clerk,
Is there a secret reward for Dillards ladies who are snotty and rude? I encounter it so often when I enter your store. I will find a new place to buy my makeup, thank you very much.
I am already aware when I walk into your store that I am not "Dillards material" but I spend a heckuva lot on makeup in Dillards and I would appreciate not being talked down to. It is my hard earned money that I am parting with. (I had a lot of other snarky comments immediately after I left the store, but thankfully for everyone, I have slept since then).
Moving on,
~a former customer

Dear Summer,
You are so deceptive, promising rest and pool time. I am just as exhausted now as I was when you started! I cannot fathom having a relaxing poolside summer with new jobs, summer jobs, school prep, home maintenance, much needed mommy/kid-time, and book studies, OH MY!
*sigh* I fought really hard to keep up those book studies until about 2/3 through July. Now I have several books I have not completed. And school is fast approaching and every single day I feel as though I have not completed the "to do " list for the day.
Feeling oversold,
a midwest teaching mom

Dear Carrie,
I love it when the living room is clean and organized. If you could just stay on top of that, everyone would really appreciate it.
Thanks,
your alternate ego (also known as your judgmental inner self)

Dear Middle Class Educational Society (in my middle class town, Midwest, USA),
It drives me crazy that you look down your noses at the families you serve. Posting a lot of things of facebook about loving your students doesn't equal good relationship building. I am glad some of you are getting your eyes opened to what the struggle looks like, but its not enough. It's not enough to take an experience and analyze it without allowing the information to become knowledge. It's not enough to talk about how you now understand your poor families in one breath and in the next breath judge them for being late, or missing an appointment, or not having the meds you requested. Every parent, no matter what you believe about their quality of parenting, wants good things for their children. Its our job to bridge the gap and be on the same team, fighting for families.
Signed,
one who has been on the receiving end of your judgment
p.s. Judging me or anyone else, does not motivate, it promotes the us vs. them mentality that educators everywhere say they are fighting to overcome.

Dear Rebecca,
I am so sorry I was late yesterday to your presentation. I know that you worked so hard to put it together. I just wanted to tell you that you are so right about the impact of relationships on our actions. If I didn't care about letting you down, I would not have shown up at all, I was really fighting with the desire not to come!
Sincerely,
One who knows that relationships really are the key to success

Dear Educators everywhere,
I know the above rants do not apply to many/most of you. Most of the educators I have met IRL and in my cyber-world love their students and families with a passion that is visible and palpable and will not let societal norms overwhelm or overcome them. I know you are exceptional. I want to be like you. I want to make a difference for these children and I want to give them every advantage possible. I want them to know that someone believes in them. I hate it that I was the victim of some really horrible educators and societal expectations at several points in my life. I hate it that it still colors my world in regard to educators. I want to continue a path of learning to marry the empathy I have as a parent with children in public education with compassion and passion as a teacher reaching out to parents and families. I want to breed cohesiveness with colleagues as well. I want to be part of the team. I do not want to be on any side of the us vs. them. I have all to often been on the parent side of that, and I don't want to be on the other side as a teacher either. I want to be a fill-in-the-gap kind of girl. That's my hope and prayer today.
Thanks educators for giving of your heart and soul and making the gap smaller. Thanks for being "that' teacher, the one that goes the extra mile. I want to be like you.
Signed,
an educator and a parent

Those are my letters. I have been feeling very "indignant" lately and I know it shows in my letters. But I also have SO MUCH to be grateful for. I love being a teacher and I am really excited about the community I am teaching in. Thanks for stopping by! Happy Sunday! 



1 comment:

  1. I love your letters, they are fun, right? I miss writing! I'm at my mom's now in West Palm, leaving tonight, and kinda excited to get back to life as usual with the routines that come along with them.
    Thanks for your last letter to educators everywhere, loved that one!
    and your letter to yourself about your living room organization made me LOL :-)
    When are you back to school?
    :-)

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