Day 29 – Thankful for Caring Teachers
Benjamin had a rough start this school year, but thankfully he has two wonderful teachers who were concerned about him and brought it to our attention and now he’s doing much better.
Today, I’m thankful for caring teachers who help my boy every day.
First day of 2nd grade
Apparently, 2nd grade is a tough transition for most children, but nobody told us that and Benjamin had a rough start to this school year. Within the first two weeks, we got notes from the teachers and I even had a call from Benjamin’s homeroom teacher. Our boy was struggling and she was worried. I was on the defensive a little, but I listened to her concerns and we started to address them one by one. Things are getting better now and I can look back and see that his caring teachers saved us from some really big problems.
Just before school started, Howard had his weight loss surgery and then within two weeks, Howard had a defibrillator put in suddenly. This, combined with Benjamin starting in a new school and 2nd grade, left our little family under a little bit of stress. We appeared to be coping well…until we weren’t.
One morning as we were in the drop-off lane, Benjamin jumped up front with us and elbowed Howard in his defibrillator wound. Howard yelped and Benjamin broke down crying. We were about to drop him off and we had to reassure him that he was not in trouble and Daddy was okay and not mad at all. We were able to calm him down enough to drop him off, but I was still worried. So, I emailed Benjamin’s homeroom teacher and told her about all of this and told her that he may be a little “distracted” or “blue” that day.
She emailed back with one those emails that you just don’t want to receive.
She said that Benjamin was struggling and seemed overwhelmed and that she was planning to call me. She said that he will just sit at his desk and stare or sit and not do his work, but when she asks him what he should be doing, he would just smile at her and not answer. She was worried about him. When she called later that evening, she reiterated the same things and said that she would like to help if we know how she can help.
After talking with Benjamin for a few days, we learned something that we didn’t know before. He started telling us that the board at school was “moving” and then he said that when he looked at his feet, there were four feet and not two. We decided to schedule him an eye exam to see what was going on and it turns out he needed glasses!
I went through Mom Guilt at first because I didn’t want to believe that he needed them until after the eye exam. I wondered how long he really needed the glasses before he knew to tell us that he was struggling. I wonder if we just weren’t listening to him enough or not asking the right questions. But, I’m thankful that his caring teachers knew enough to tell us that he was struggling in some way so that we knew to ask him different questions.
Now my boy has two sets of glasses and I think he looks pretty darn cute in them both. He is doing so much better in school and things are really starting to click for him. His teachers are writing much better notes for him and his grades are improving. I’m so proud of my little man every day and I’m so thankful that his teachers were there, and are still there, for him every day.
So, today I’m thankful for caring teachers who take care of my boy and want to see him succeed.
Join me on my journey to write 30 days of thankfulness in the month of November for NaBloPoMo and follow my hashtag – #CrazyThankful – to find out what I’m thankful for this month and all year long!
It’s great to hear stories about amazing teachers who really care and show interest in their students’ well-being. I’m happy to hear that one teacher’s attentiveness allowed you to identify where your son needed help.
Kiana recently posted..curlBOX Review: October 2015
Aww that’s great that you figured out what was going on, though! My daughter has glasses and I think they’re super cute, too.
Today, I am thankful for the connections that I make through my freelance writing – it’s always good to get a boost of motivation from other writers.
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I had one absolutely terrible teacher in school one year, but I had a friend in one I had the year prior that made things better. I gave a present to that wonderful teacher every year, even after I moved beyond that school. It’s amazing what good teachers can do.
Teachers make all the difference in the world! It is a huge blessing to have such great teachers! LifeAsLex
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It’s so wonderful to hear that y’all were blessed with amazing teachers. Those glasses DO look great on him!
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