A teacher has an important message for parents: “School is important enough that we should give more than required to make sure it is successful, teachers should be respected and valued, and learning requires us giving it everything we have.”
He posted the message as part of an open letter he wrote on his Facebook page, after a surprising experience he had in US store Wal Mart.
Leland Michael was stocking up on school supplies for his class when he overheard parents in the aisles complaining about the things they had to buy their kids for the school year
“This is just ridiculous. I don't know how these teachers think we are supposed to get all this stuff.”
Upon hearing this, Leland’s heart sank – after all there he was stocking up on items for the kids in his own class – but little did he know, a short time later he would hear something that would lift it right back up again.
“While I was checking out though, things took a very different turn,” he wrote. “I noticed the man in front of me in the check-out lane was buying school supplies for his daughter. As he went to leave he said, ‘You are a teacher right? I just want to thank you for everything you do. I see your cart is full with supplies, and I just wanted to help out as much as I can’. Then he handed me a $25 dollar Wal-Mart gift card, shook my hand, and walked away with his daughter smiling big at me.
And while Leland was extremely moved by the man’s generosity, what struck him most was the positive message his actions gave his daughter.
“[The] part that stuck with me the most was the difference in the message his daughter just heard from her dad compared to the other parents who had been complaining earlier,” he mused.
“The kids who heard their parents complaining heard this message: ‘School is not important enough to spend money on it, teachers are not to be trusted and have bad judgement, and learning does not require investment’.”
Now, this is not about money; we’re the first to admit school supplies can be a drain on struggling parents. But what it IS about is sending our kids the right message about school.
“If money is tight, and you struggle to buy your child school supplies, I understand,” Leland finished. “Don't worry – more than likely your child will have a teacher and a school that makes sure they have the supplies they need to be successful this year. However, as a parent, do your best to send the right message to your child. The man you gave me the gift card not only made my day, but I know that his daughter will enter the classroom this year with a very different perspective about her teacher and her education, and that is extremely powerful!”
