I had a blog post for Hallmark scheduled to run yesterday. It was in queue, all ready to go, when the tragedy in Newtown, CT took place.
My Hallmark post was to be about their very special North Pole Countdown Ornament, but I just couldn’t push publish. I have something else I’d like to talk about. In light of the tragedy in Newtown, CT I’d like to take a moment to talk about our teachers.
This is my final post for the Hallmark 2012 Life is a Special Occasion Campaign. It has been such an honor to work with such an incredible company. Even more so, it has been such a gift for me to explore personal topics and share them with you in a way I might not have before. With all the wonderful things I had the chance to write about in the past year, one very special thing has stuck with me… Tell Them.
image courtesy of Hallmark
Teachers. They are educated and hired to teach our children the ABC’s, math, geography and more. They teach each and every day, but we trust them with beyond giving our kids an education. We trust them to love our babies and keep them safe. Never in a million years would I expect that a teacher would have to give up their life to protect my own kids, but I know if that were to happen, every single teacher we’ve been blessed to have in our lives would do just that.
I think for that alone, we need to remember to tell a teacher thank you. Especially on this day, as we are all hugging our children a little tighter and smothering them with an over abundance of love and affection, our teachers need to feel the same kind of thanks and gratitude coming from us.
So to Mrs. Brim, Mrs. DeWerff, Mrs. Maggie, Mrs. Thompson, Mrs. Morris, Mrs. Dolan, Mrs. Hoover, Mrs. Lawyer, Mrs. Viets, Mrs. Ashley, Mrs. Legett, Mrs. Hite and all the teachers out there who love my children as their own, through tears, I say “Thank You”. Thank you for being more than simply a teacher to my kids. I am incredibly grateful to all of you.
Disclosure: I am honored to be a 2012 paid brand ambassador for Hallmark Life is a Special Occasion. All opinions expressed are my own. For special discounts, product offerings and news about Hallmark, feel free to sign up for their newsletter.
Beautiful words – teachers are so important! Thank you!
They certainly are. Thank you, Cheri.
As much as I love you in many other ways your Hallmark posts really upset me. A sponsored post to talk about tragedy? Acting like a letter can solve the wrenching awfulness that is depression? I wish I had the guts to tell you in person. I hate fights though. I’m just so dissapointed.
Dear Really?…Thanks so much for your feedback. I wasn’t using my sponsored post to talk about tragedy. I was using the platform of my blog to remind others the sacrifice our teachers make for us each day and to tell them thank you. It’s a simple reminder to share our gratitude with people who I believe don’t get that thanks nearly enough. I would have written the post whether it was sponsored or not.
I also didn’t say a letter solved my problem… but it certainly helped. My depression was situational after my brother passed away and every letter, every person showing an act of kindness towards me definitely did help me to get through it.
I really wish you would have the guts to tell me this in person as well. I respect your opinion and would respect it even more if you didn’t hide behind an anonymous shield.
Much love,
Kristen
I am in tears reading this. When I picked up my 4 year old on Friday from pre-school, after I raced there to pick her up and hug her so tight, I let her teacher know what had happened in CT. She immediately started to tear up saying ” I couldn’t even begin to imagine” so I thanked her for being such a great teacher to my little girl, and now after reading this I think I will bring her a gift and a card when I volunteer in the class on Friday for their holiday party as an extra thanks.
Thanks for posting this
Shanna – Hugs to you, friend. Anything we can do to show our appreciation at all times for everything they do for us is important. I think your idea is a great one.
So very true… a reminder of how much more we expect of teachers than we realize on a daily basis.
You nailed it, Patsy. Their call of duty goes way beyond what we would ever truly expect of them.
That was a beautiful thought!
You and your children have been fortunate to have great teachers! They, in turn, have been fortunate to have you as a parent in their classes. Teachers who enter teaching because they love children are a special treasure to our country. God bless all of your children’s teachers now, in the past, and in the future.
And the tears just keep rolling… beautifully said. I love this.
And the tears just keep rolling… beautifully said. I love this.
Sweet, sweet Kristen, thank you so much for the beautiful post. Even before I started teaching, I loved teachers. As I sat in my classroom yesterday receiving texts from teachers and loved ones, I felt incredibly sad for all of the families and incredibly blessed that we, too, have had so many amazingly wonderful teachers in our lives. I hope and pray that I can inspire my students one day as much as our teachers have inspired us.
My daughter and son-in-law are both teachers (elementary and high school respectively), two nieces teach high school, and both of my sisters, kindergarten. This was very touching and brought tears to my eyes and a lump to my throat. God bless wonderful teachers and the sweet children they teach. I also have eight grandchildren; the oldest is 7. Thank you.
My daughter and son-in-law are both teachers (elementary and high school respectively), two nieces teach high school, and both of my sisters, kindergarten. This was very touching and brought tears to my eyes and a lump to my throat. God bless wonderful teachers and the sweet children they teach. I also have eight grandchildren; the oldest is 7. Thank you.
My daughter and son-in-law are both teachers (elementary and high school respectively), two nieces teach high school, and both of my sisters, kindergarten. This was very touching and brought tears to my eyes and a lump to my throat. God bless wonderful teachers and the sweet children they teach. I also have eight grandchildren; the oldest is 7. Thank you.
Kristen, thank you for writing this because we all need to show our appreciation to teachers. And thanks for sharing your story. We need to not forget our friends and family as they grieve and be there for them. xoxo
I think this is really important. I don’t throw around the word “hero” lightly (which it seems to be done more and more lately), but I can’t think of a more fitting word for the people who don’t just educate the next generation – important enough on its own! – but also protect their safety and, if a horrifying situation like this does occur, put their own lives on the line for the children in their care. There’s been an appalling trend lately of denigrating teachers, which makes me miserable whenever I see it, and after this awful reminder of the things teachers can be called upon to do, I hope not to see that kind of rhetoric ever again.
Beautiful post and thoughts Kristen.
I’m confused by the anonymous “Really?” comment left on your blog. What difference does it make if Kristen used a sponsored post or not to convey her thoughts…..isn’t that the BEST kind of sponsored post? from our hearts. I’m pretty sure that’s why Hallmark asked Kristen to work with them, because she’s such a perfect fit. She’s wonderful at sharing her thoughts and feelings in a compelling and loving way, not mechanical and simply fact throwing.
Having said that, I know Kristen would have written this post, sponsored spot or not. If you REALLY knew her, you’d know that she speaks and writes from her heart and how much written letters mean to her and how they can help both the sender and the recipient.
You must feel that at least some of what you wrote here to her was wrong, to hide behind your anonymity.
Thanks for being YOU Kristen! xoxox