Goodbye to some great ladies

Today I decided that when your kids have incredibly kind, dedicated, inspirational teachers & they get to have those same teachers for 3 years in a row, there is only one disadvantage. That would be saying goodbye at the end of 3 years! Both Madi & Katie have had the same teachers for 3 years and next year they are both venturing into new territory. Madi will be moving out of "upper elementary" into middle school while Katie will be moving to 4th grade - out of "lower elementary" and into "upper elementary". Here Madi is pictured with her beloved Ms. Julie, Madi's teacher for the past 3 years. In Madi's eyes, Ms. Julie is the wisest of the wise, the smartest of the smart, the funniest of the funny. She can do no wrong and knows much more than Madi's own parents! I am sure that in a lot of cases, this is true. Madi has thrived in Julie's class as she has been allowed to express her opinions, complete assignments in a creative way, and learn many life lessons in addition to academics. Academically, Julie knew Madi's ability to think analytically & pushed her to try algebra at the ripe-old age of 11. Madi loved it!

Here is Madi with Ms. Kendall - the other teacher in Ms. Julie's classroom. Ms. Kendall has been Madi's teacher for 2 years. She has taught Madi reading, English, & music, and has been a great to support to Ms. Julie as well.








Katie's teachers for the past 3 years have been Ms. April & Ms. Melissa. I love these women! They were Madi's teachers 4 years ago, so I have had a child in their classroom for the past 4 years. April & Melissa's classroom is a wonderful balance of kind & loving yet structured & firm. Katie has done extremely well in this environment. She is a very goal-driven child and in this classroom she has been able to achieve all that she has desired. Ms. April is the head teacher, though she & Melissa both have an equally important presence in the classroom. Pictured below is Mr. Noah - the heart throb PE teacher & support teacher in Katie's classroom. He has only been in the classroom for this past school year, but I am quite certain that in that time, every 3rd grade girl in Katie's classroom developed a crush on Mr. Noah.














I am so glad that I didn't have to say goodbye to Lacey's teacher, Ms. Rosie, this year! Lacey will be back with her for kindergarten in the fall. This has been Lacey's 2nd year with Ms. Rosie & I love Ms. Rosie too! She is the absolute epitome of a Montessori preschool teacher. She is soft-spoken, gentle and "earthy". I love to watch her interact with the children. She is so respectful, modeling how they should be respectful of others. Lacey is very excited to be in Rosie's kindergarten class! Lacey is also pictured with Ms. Jessie & Ms. Stacey - the 2 support teachers in Lacey's classroom as well as the 2 Spanish teachers who speak only Spanish to the children as part of the Spanish Immersion program at our school.

























I did not like saying good bye to Julie, April, & Melissa today. I believe I will miss these women as much as my girls will. I found myself fighting back a tear or two as I hugged and said goodbye to these teachers who have played such an important part of my children's lives for the past 3 years. I will miss the semi-annual parent-teacher conferences and the opportunities to interact with them as a parent volunteer throughout the school year. They know my children so well, and this is a comforting feeling for a mom. I know that Madi & Katie will both go on to have great teachers in the coming year (because I honestly believe every one of the teachers in our school belongs to the "best teacher in the world" club). It is hard to say goodbye, but it feels good to know that many good things await in the future. It's also helps to know that we can still see these teachers & say hi even though we won't be interacting on a daily basis. We are blessed to have had these women in our lives.