“This year, I want to return the favor.”

‘You did drive-by parades and Zoom calls. You dropped off beloved stuffed animals. You are the only reason I can breathe.’: Mom thanks teachers for unyielding support

‘When they flinch from the stapler dropping, it’s because they weren’t sure if you’re throwing it at them.’: Foster mom pens powerful note to teacher warning of her children’s trauma
“They come from a really, really hard place. The kind of abuse you think can’t be real. They duck for cover. You’ve heard of fight or flight? There is also freeze. One of my kids responds with ‘freeze.’ Her eyes grow wide and her voice silences. It’s how she’s trained herself to survive. My kids need to know you are safe.”

‘I’m nervous leaving my kid with a stranger. This year may be tough for him.’: Mom hopes son’s teacher will ‘be patient’ with her, she’s still ‘learning to let go’
“My biggest fear is that he will get labeled the ‘bad kid’ in his class. Actually, if I’m being honest – my biggest fear is that he will start to believe he actually is a bad kid. I’m nervous about mean kids. I’m nervous he could become one of the mean kids.”

‘We are not your ‘typical’ family. We are white parents with a black child.’: Mom sends heartfelt letter to teacher ‘advocating’ for her black son this school year
“Eli is usually the only black student in his classroom. We are not a ‘colorblind’ family. Eli’s hair is a big part of who he is and how he expresses himself. Please don’t let anyone touch it without his permission. Please provide him with colored paper, pencils or markers that represents his skin color. Not many teachers in our small town think about this subject.”