Thursday, May 13, 2010

Teacher Appreciation :: Ms. Josie's Gift

This is Buddy Boy’s last year at Infinite Bounds. People say that Disney’s the “happiest place on earth”. Those people have never been to Infinite Bounds. IB is where my kiddos go to “school” a couple days a week so I can desperately cling to the little bit of sanity that I have left I can plan gourmet meals and keep my home immaculately clean. IB rocks! It isn’t swanky or nicely decorated. As a matter of fact, it’s a little run down – and not in that shabby-chic kinda way. More like in that rode-hard-and-put-away-wet kinda way. But that’s OK, because every inch of frayed carpet, every knick in the walls tells a story of pure, unadulterated joy. (Oh, and I should say that this is NOT the school that threw their own ridiculous teacher appreciation week-long party that I was complaining about last month.)

IB is actually a gymnastics training center. All day long, young gymnasts flip, balance, spin and fly until they get it just right. That all happens in the gym. Around the perimeter of the gym are small classrooms for little kiddos. They learn their colors & ABC’s. They sing songs and get all messy with shaving cream finger painting. And when it’s time to work those wiggles out, they head into the gym and go crazy.

The best part about IB is the staff. Buddy Boy’s been going there for almost 3 years now, and in that time, I’ve never seen the staff with anything but shit-eating grins on their faces. They’re all just so stinkin’ happy that you’re there. Every child and every parent is greeted by name…every time. They ask you how your weekend was. They tell you you look pretty today (when you know you stink and you’re running on 3 hours of sleep). They love you, and they absolutely adore your child. Your child is the greatest kid they’ve ever met. And while it sounds like a load of crap, it’s not. They really mean this. Really. It’s crazy how friendly and loving everybody is.

Next week, he’ll graduate from the Happiest Place on Earth. His teacher, Ms. Josie has it all worked out and it’s going to be great. (I’m sure I’ll spend the whole ceremony hiding behind my camera so no one will see me bawling like a baby.) In the fall, Buddy Boy will start real school where all the joy and creativity will be systematically sucked from his soul. But in the meantime, he still has a few precious days left in this incredible environment. I recently learned that Ms. Josie is struggling to make ends meet, and this broke my heart not just a little. So o I decided to do a little fund raiser for her. I’m having the kiddos make a paperchain out of the money we collect. The kids are having a blast keeping the secret and making the chain. We’re going to put it in a huge box and present it to her at graduation. I also want to make a big card to go along with it. But oddly, I find myself at a loss for words. So, I’m turning to all you creative writers out there. Come up with something for me. Please. Something about how early care providers are an important link in the chain of a child’s life. Something that will connect the links in the money chain to how fondly we all feel towards Ms. Josie. So any great ideas for me? Any catchy little phrases or isms? I’m open to suggestions.

1 comment:

T@PoppyPlacePdx said...

That is so sweet. I remember the preschool my kids all went to "Pumpkinshell" if was the same, a little run down but full of love and positive energy, not sure I can help much with your card writing but I believe this is the foundation to our childrens' future education. Have a great day. T. :)