The night before school started, my son turned to me with his big eyes and his gap-toothed smile. Matter-of-factly, he stated: “Pretty sure I won’t like school this year.” The next night, he sighed: “Well, it wasn’t as bad as I thought.” He’s a tough critic — this was huge.
A week later, he said: “My teacher is just really funny, and she’s good at teaching. . . . I think she really loves her job.” The next week, I received a text from her: “Your son is a cool kid.” My heart swelled: He got her and she got him.
Three months in, and he is happier in school than I have ever seen him. He lights up when he talks about what he is learning. He sleeps next to his reading log, so he won’t forget to fill it out to show his teacher. He beamed when he earned a private lunch with her.