A letter to teachers, from a first-year school parent

To all you educators, I'd like to say thank you.

I’m a mother of a five-year-old boy, Benny, who just started kindergarten. I’m also the Vice President of Marketing at Carnegie Learning getting to know the teacher experience more deeply than ever with the launch of our new podcast, Year One. So, here I am – a first-year school parent working on a project that tells the story of a first-year school teacher. And both experiences have given me a whole new perspective on the incredible work educators do every day.

I wasn’t prepared for how helpless I would feel in Benny’s first week of school, watching him fade into a crowded bus and whisked away for eight hours. I had absolutely no clue what madness was happening within those school walls, only that it was now the problem of a bunch of perfect, professional strangers.

It was the morning of the third day when I broke down. Benny struggled to step up into the bus with his 20lb book bag, and then I saw his little head bobbing up and down the aisle, looking for a good place to sit. After a few minutes that felt like hours, the bus driver opened the door and asked us if we could help him find a seat. When we finally got Benny to sit down, I saw his face looking out the window, using all his strength to hold back tears as the bus drove away. Needless to say, I didn’t do so well at holding back my own tears. I couldn’t be there for my little boy, and I felt completely helpless.

Then, I remembered the school counselor had told us during orientation that if our kiddos are having a tough morning, we can let them know if they may need some extra support. I emailed Benny's teacher, Mrs. K, right away to explain what happened and that he might be in a bad headspace that morning.

My phone pinged with a reply four minutes later. I couldn’t believe it. It was one minute before the bell would ring and class would be in session, yet she prioritized my email right before she was to start teaching her class of lively five-year-olds.

And guess what? My sweet, resilient boy was just fine, probably making some incredibly impressive half-unicorn, half-dragon creature out of clay. And thanks to Mrs. K, I wouldn’t be spending the day distracted and broken-hearted, counting down the minutes until he got off the bus and I could confirm he was OK. She even emailed me later to let me know he had a great day and found him a bus seat partner to ride with moving forward. I was floored by her patience and empathy. I realized in that moment that Benny was in good hands.

Then I thought about Miss MacNulty, the first-year teacher sharing her story on Year One, and the grace and love she shows her students, plus her dedication to building strong parent-teacher partnerships. And I realized in THAT moment that ALL of our kids are in good hands, and that parents need to be dedicated to that partnership, too.

Inspired by this parent "first" and the podcast, I am going to do everything I can to develop a strong partnership with the school and with Mrs. K. I sent her an email telling her that I have a deep appreciation for her as a teacher, that I am invested in Benny’s education, and that I am here to help her and him in any way they need along the way.

Since then, I’ve just been following their lead. I read all the emails from the school, follow all of the principal’s instructions, and fill out all the forms on time. I put labels on all of Benny’s stuff, and then even more labels on more stuff. I charge up his iPad and empty his take-home folder every night. We talk about what he learned each day and I praise the art he creates in class (he draws dinosaurs on the back of every activity sheet). And I’m going to continue to do these things because I don’t want to be an obstacle. I want Benny to have a smooth ride on his learning journey, and I know that’s on me, too.

So thank you to Miss MacNulty and all teachers for helping me understand what makes an A+ parent-teacher partnership on the Year One podcast. Thank you to Benny’s school counselor for encouraging parents to reach out to their teacher on those tough mornings. Thank you to Benny’s principal for being a master communicator and helping parents understand your expectations of them. Thank you to Mrs. K for that email. You may not remember it with everything you are juggling, but know that small act brought one parent’s anxiety at ease, and I’m more than OK with you helping to raise my son.

– Janet Irwin , VP of Marketing, Carnegie Learning

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