Autumn turns 24 this week, and in celebration, I decided to take a moment to tell you why I'm so proud of my girl. I've always had a mental list of reasons but seeing her in her first year of being a teacher has helped me to see her in a whole new light.
These are among the reasons I love Miss A.
She is selfless. She spent the entire summer getting ready for her students to come to a bright, organized, decorated, equipped classroom. All those cool additions to her classroom that made it warm instead of sterile and fun instead of institutional? She bought those with her college graduation money before she even received her first paycheck.
She is selfless, part II. The books in her classroom? She bought most of those. Instead of asking for clothes or gift cards or jewelry or makeup for graduation, she asked for children's books to stock her classroom.
She is a fierce advocate. She will bend over backwards and risk her own comfort to make sure her kids learn. She employs creativity and her personal time to make that happen. This week she's been designing and printing Phonics Bingo cards. They. Are. Amazing.
She cares deeply. When one of her students gives her an unexpected gift, a hug or tells her she's their favorite teacher, it goes straight to her heart. When a student comes to school upset, has a medical issue or maybe just has a bad day, she cries about it and looks for solutions.
She is respectful. Just as health care workers have to be mindful of HIPAA, Miss A knows that student details are between them and their parents. She doesn't share names or details about her students. When she tells us about her day , she refers to her students as "my friends." I love that.
She has a beautiful sense of humor. Her students make her laugh, and her stories make us laugh. It's rare for her not to come home with a funny story about something one of her friends did or said. I don't think people can comprehend the sense of humor it takes to be a good teacher. How many times on your job does someone throw up on your feet? How many times on your job do you have to help someone with a bathroom situation or help them open their lunch?
She is extremely creative.
She recently learned to crochet. Miss A crocheted hats for her students, and she just crocheted a pair of socks for herself. I didn't know it was possible to crochet socks. She is an amazing baker and cake decorator. When I come home to the scent of fresh bread or see piping bags filled with icing, I know something amazing is happening in the kitchen. She also paints with watercolors, designs beautiful, colorful digital art pieces and designs her own classroom tools, including writing her own stories for reading comprehension.
She is incredibly organized.
I never in my life expected to write that sentence to describe Autumn. Plagued with ADHD, her room growing up could not have looked more disheveled if an F2 tornado hit it, but her classroom is immaculate. Supplies have their place. Books are organized. She has bins for each month of the school year, each neatly organized. Her phonics cards are carefully separated.
There are many, many more reasons why I love my girl, but this first year of teaching has shown me a whole new side of her. I know she's learned a lot. I have too.
I used to say that I wanted to run for office one day. I don't think I have the intestinal fortitude to run now, but if I did, I'd want to run for school board or some other role where I could advocate for teachers. Here's my platform and why:
Teachers should be paid more. A lot more. I read that Congress is looking at raising minimum teacher salaries to $60,000 annually. They should. Teachers have complete responsibility for 13-20 kids every day, and they're not just responsible for teaching them math and reading. They make sure they go to the bathroom and come back. They make sure they eat lunch. They make sure they get on the right school bus or into the right car. They know how to respond in a medical emergency. They deal with defiant children and uninterested parents. They enrich lessons for the kids who want to know more. They learn what inspires their students and what dissuades them. Teachers should be paid a whole lot more.
Teachers should have expense accounts or an annual budget to stock their classrooms and provide the tools they know their students need. They buy these things for their classrooms already out of their own pocket. Retired teachers are great about passing down their supplies to the next generation of teachers, but teachers retire after 30 years or more on the job. I'm pretty sure 30-year-old material is not the right stuff for today's first graders.
Teachers should have access to free or low-cost mental health services. Can you imagine spending 8 hours of your day surrounded by six-year-olds? You get bad news? You can't leave your class unattended. Have a headache? There's not time away to get medicine or rest in a quiet room. Find out some difficult news about a student? You soldier on, with no time to process. Have a family emergency? People will pitch in, but ultimately the planning of the lessons and the preparation for while you're gone is up to you. That's a big load to carry.
Teachers should have support staff. If each grade had an assistant or secretary to make copies, cut out shapes, prepare for the next lesson or relieve a teacher for a much-needed bathroom break, it would change their day.
Schools should have security guards that are familiar faces to students, parents and teachers. When I saw the news that a six-year-old had shot his teacher, my angst for Miss A's daily routine escalated big time. As a dad, I don't want her in a situation that could endanger her life without trained support.
Come to think of it, that last item leads me to add another reason why I love my girl:
She is brave.
Walking into any first job is daunting but walking right out of college and into a situation where you are responsible for a large group of people you have never met and know nothing about takes a brave heart. Add to that school shootings and the ugliness of social media. It takes a brave young woman to step into that.
Happy birthday, Autumn. You are amazing, selfless, strong, intelligent, kind, fierce, creative, funny, respectful, organized and brave, and I am proud to be your dad.
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