‘Thanks for caring as much as I do.’ An open letter to my son’s kindy teacher.

To my children's wonderful kindy teacher, Kylie.

Sending both my son and daughter to kindy was a big deal. Perhaps a bigger deal for me than most. As a stay-at-home-mum at the time they were toddlers, there hadn’t been a day that it wasn’t me holding their little hands from the moment they woke (sometimes far too early) to the time their eyes closed at night.

Always me, always with them. Every single day. 

When my son walked in the gates to our local kindergarten, his backpack looking way too large to be carried by his spindly little legs, I was an emotional mess. My baby – my last baby – was about to realise that the world was greater than the walls of our house and the safety of our arms. 

But while I got teary about this ‘last first’, I was sending him into the care of someone very special indeed. Thankfully, that was you. I guess you could call it the 'happy-sads'. Sad for the end of an era having him all to myself, but so very happy for the incredible experience he was about to have as a kindy kid.

Kylie, you are something of a real-life Mary Poppins, full of knowledge and helping youngsters see the magic around them. You welcomed my son to kindy with the same warmth as when my daughter had walked in the same door, three years prior.

You had made my girl’s experience such a cheerful one, so we loved the idea of my son having you, too.

Image: Supplied.

A passionate and dedicated teacher, Kylie, you'd tell me your greatest reward is seeing the centre's group of children – our children – grow and thrive in the year before school.

My son’s confidence away from home, his self-esteem, knowledge about the earth and its creatures, his skills and patience were stretched and tested, but he met the challenges and excelled with your guidance and enthusiasm as his teacher.

He didn’t realise he was learning. The entire time he spent at kindy he was playing, having fun and being creative.

He loved every second of it, and seeing him so happy made the drop-off much easier on his proud mum!

For my children, the early years were spent developing friendships and respectful relationships with peers and teachers. It was truly nurturing and prepared them for the first year of school ahead, exposing them to new and exciting ideas and experiences. 

Instead of a timid and nervous first day of Prep, my two skipped into their classrooms, confident, resilient, and armed with knowledge learned at kindy the year before. It’s a humble brag but I can’t take all the credit. They had a sense of accomplishment and it was you, Kylie, who made it happen.

My children's love of learning was nurtured at kindy, and has absolutely continued into their school years. Reading stories, singing songs and igniting their imaginations? Kylie, you did that. You helped my children grow, while letting them still be little, and that’s a tricky thing to do.

It wasn’t just me telling them that lunch was the time to fuel their minds and bodies. The same message was encouraged at kindy with veggie gardens to tend to, encouraging them to love eating their veggies by knowing exactly where they're grown from. It was because of her time at kindy that my daughter’s favourite snack became hummus dip with carrot sticks and baby cucumbers.

Thank you for always having my children's best interests at heart, and for being the person who cared for their physical, emotional and social wellbeing as much as I do. 

How lovely that your influence as a wonderful kindy teacher will have a lasting impact on who they grow up to be.

Feature Image: Supplied.