The Forgotten Note

My daughter is not a student. But she fell in love with her teacher this year, and from everything I’ve seen, the feeling was mutual. So when she came home on the last day of school with her report card sporting glowing comments, I felt like a worm; how could I not have acknowledged all her hard work?  How could I not have at least written a note?

After some internal debate, I decided that while a thank-you note would be nicer, if a text is all I can do now, it’s better than nothing. Some acknowledgement is in order. I sent the text and apologized for not sending a proper note. The school year is so busy with homework and projects that somehow, although we’d been preparing for the summer since November (remember camp applications?), and shopping since February, it caught me unawares. I had no time to think about thank-you notes until my kids came home on the last day of school in a flurry of paper, supplies, and nosh.

My daughter’s teacher called me in response, and when we spoke, she told me that it’s okay to send thank-you notes in the summer. They’re still appreciated then. At the time, it sounded so sensible. What a great way to fill my time during the lazy, halcyon days of summer! I could go shopping, wander the aisles until I found pretty stationery, and then write beautiful compositions to each teacher detailing their impact on my children’s lives.

Ha! Lazy summer? Halcyon days? Wander aisles?

For those not fortunate enough to be teachers, let me explain. In the summer, work continues as usual. But the kids are off before camp starts, and they come to work. Good luck trying to focus and accomplish like that. The older ones spend the days at home calling you at work. Fielding their calls while trying to work around the kids overtaking your desk is… not conducive to work.