I Appreciate You

There are a few children in my room (there are a few children in EVERY teacher's room) who require a bit more... effort... to love. They may be bright but oppositional, or enthusiastic but disruptive, or delightful but extremely low. Lots of options here.

I pray every night that I will love (or at the very least show love) to all of my students.

I communicate often with the parents of these students, and it isn't always easy. There are the parents who say "Not my child! She's an angel at home!" And the type who say, "What do you mean he's having trouble? He's doing division and reading chapter books at home!" and then the type who just don't give a darn.

On the other hand, there are the type who email me (out of the blue) with one simple, beautiful line:

I appreciate you.

Seeing this from any parent, let alone a parent with whom I have shared difficult conversations regarding her darling, made me feel like I was doing something right.

I felt so good in fact, that I immediately pulled out my sticky notes and wrote "I appreciate you!" on five. I walked to the teacher's mailboxes and put them in the boxes of a few people who have been a blessing to me at work.

Sometimes we forget to tell people that what they do means something.

Who/what do you appreciate?