God Bless the Teachers!

So over the past month, mothers everywhere have worked to prepare their children to go back to school and to get into some sort of new routine.  This year, with our coronavirus situation, it has been particularly challenging.  During a normal year that involves shopping for supplies and school clothes.  Everyone is usually asked to bring extras of certain items, like tissue or wipes.  I appreciate that, it is charitable for some and it teaches all of us (including the parents who object to it) the concept of sharing.  I do wish teachers would be a little more flexible when it comes to supplies.  Some are EXTREMELY particular with colors and brands.  Clothes shopping is an adventure in and of itself and can vary depending on the number of children you are shopping for.  If you have one child things should be pretty low key.  But then again, if that child is particular about what they wear...  "Mommy" started picking out her own clothes at the ripe old age of 4.  If I bought something that she didn't like, she flat out refused to wear it.  So I figured, "Why waste the money?" We made two deals.  She could pick out the clothes she liked, but I got final approval.  Also, if she picked them out, she had to wear them.  Seems fair right?  It seemed to work, and I didn't have to deal with the things I did as a kid.  Like taking a knife to a pair of orthopedic shoes that my mother and father made me wear.  I peeled back the sole until they were unwearable, feigned ignorance and got a prettier pair of shoes.  A costly issue for my folks!  
There is also the challenge of a new bedtime and homework routine.  Kids, in optimal conditions get to be kids during the summer.  They play outside, get dirty, eat at unusual times and probably stay up late.  They should.  It is part of being a kid!  Ah, but when school starts ....  Now it means early bedtimes and baths, homework right after school.  To them, the day just disappears!!!
So, on to my real point.  God bless the teachers! I will be honest with you, the start of the school year was always exciting for me as a mom.  One less child throughout the day!  Then two, then three, then four...  You get my point.  I can remember when the Consigliari (FYI - The Surprise has requested  an identity change, so since he is in law school...) finally started school he was extremely concerned about how I would spend my day.  What would I do without him?!?  I announced that I might dance or I might just actually sit and do NOTHING!  But, I did tell him I would miss him!
So we send these little darlings out the door to their teachers!  Again, God bless them.  Because we know what we have dealt with all summer.  Arguments, cuts, bruises, sometimes a broken bone.  We had a broken arm with "Mommy" and still haven't gotten the real story.  Really, she tripped over the dog?!? Is anyone that clumsy?!?  We have spent the summer dealing with temper tantrums, attitudes, lack of cooperation and poor listening skills!  All of the above depends on your particular child or children.  My gang had different behaviors depending on how they were grouped!  Knowing all of this, we ship them off to these saints, otherwise known as teachers who greet them with patience and a smile (both of which are no longer part of mom's personna).  They take these little darlings and somehow get them to cooperate, listen, use manners and wait for it - LEARN!  As moms, we sit back and are amazed when we have a parent/teacher conference and hear how delightful our child/children are.  My kid?  You can't be talking about my kid!  This is the kid that refused to eat lunch and then held his food in his mouth throughout nap.  This is the child whose main answer to any instruction is "I know that."  And you are telling me this kid follows complicated instructions and listens well?!?  And then there are the children with less than optimal  home lives.  These wonderful people are often the lifeline for these kids.  They are role models and surrogate parents!
I don't know how these men and women are able to be everything they are and perform these miracles.  (Maybe they are really witches, like in Harry Potter!)  But thank you! Thank you for six or seven hours of peace and quiet.  Thank you for being part of the development of my child that hopefully gives the little "Scarecrow" a brain.  Thank you caring about what they learn, how they learn, and making sure that they do learn!  You are absolute angels in my eyes and God has blessed us with wonderful men and women who choose to be educators!  Have a fantastic school year!  If you need coffee, donuts, new shoes, diamonds, a new car, anything, just ask! (Disclaimer - just kidding on some of those items.) You are appreciated more than you know and often more than you are told.