Yesterday, I wrote about the many wonderful notes I've received from my students over the years. Today, I'm writing about the one note you never want to receive as a teacher...

     I have received three notes in my career from very different little girls who have written that they wished I was their mom.  That's pretty deep.  Children often "love" their teacher, but I have found it rare that they connect school to home, and compare their teacher to their mom.  The three girls that have said this to me all expressed that their moms didn't have much time for them and didn't listen to them.  All three girls were emotionally needy and often displayed attention seeking behavior.  It broke my heart.  All they really wanted (and needed) was love and time.  I tried to give them as much of both as I could during the year I had each one of them, but in my heart, I knew it would never be enough.