Sniff sniff

Ok so today was my first day of real tears over you going to Kindergarten. I labeled all your things for school and I did great until I got to your outer backpack label. I thought- what information can I write on this tag that would be helpful? Your name, of course. Your teacher? I don't know yet. (sore spot there- your principle has yet to call me back, can't imagine he'd be busy this time of year... Lol). Then I thought... What info would be good for if you were lost but not overly helpful in case you got ... Kidnapped.

That is so scary.

Ok so I put your name, your bus number and MY number.

What i could not fit on the tag was this: Dear teacher,
Please take such good care of my baby. She is such a huge, irreplaceable wonderful part of my life. She is a joy and an empty vessel, hungry for knowledge.

This is such a smart girl!! She can read real books. She sounds out words and tries so hard.

Now. I am entrusting you to teach my child because she thrives on a school environment surrounded by her peers. This was not a decision we made lightly. I still struggle with wondering if she would be best taught at home by me. Her dad and I have decided for now to give public school a chance, because she shines so with others her age. Help me to agree this time next year that this was the best decision for our whole family. Appreciate my little girl, because she is incredible and truly precious.

Please don't rush her. Ruby is careful with her work, easily frustrated because she just wants to do her best. Let her take her time. The look on her face when she comes to show you her hard work will make the extra time and patience worth it.

She is a kind and gentle soul with a wonderful sense of humor and a love for others. She has no idea how beautiful she truly is, inside and out.

She is sensitive and has a big heart. She cries when she watches someone in a movie die or get hurt or fall in love. She is unbelievably good to her family, her sister, and her brother.

Let her know it is ok to make mistakes- we all do. We just keep trying. Encourage her excitement joy and enthusiasm about the wonderful world around her.

She is a great friend, without a mean streak. My hope is not that she is the most popular, but that she continues to make me proud by choosing friends who build her and themselves up without tearing others down. Nourish her kindness and her open heart, her honesty and her sense of fairness as we have done. I am so proud of the five year old that she is.

Please, please dear teacher... Don't let my baby get lost. Don't let her feel afraid without someone there to comfort her. Don't let her be bullied, or ridiculed. Don't let her be pressured into things harmful to her. Let her know that she is loved, heard, seen, and highly valued as a member of your class.

I leave her with you because I think the school experience is an important one and I think you can do it better than I can. We will see. :)

Sincerely, Ruby's mom always, Jackie Sawyer