Dear Former English Teacher,
I can never find enough words to thank you for understanding that my daughter is a person, not an age-- and that her asynchrony leads her to see things differently, not better or worse, than her classmates.
Thank you for just-- appreciating her sense of humor, her enthusiasm, and for understanding her quirks as a cheetah, not a border collie. You gave my daughter's writing wings, and taught her to love herself and to embrace hard work. You spoke frankly with her about self-doubt and perfectionism, and even when you didn't understand what she was saying, you respected her completely.
The fact that you encouraged her, and were so appreciative of her quirky enthusiasm, gave her a lifelong love of English Literature and of learning, often while your colleagues were determined to kill it at all costs.
There will never be a way to thank you enough.
By the way, I'm really sorry that the school apparently didn't see your value and canned you abruptly. If not for you, DD would never have graduated with a diploma from this place. We'd never have survived her high school years with this curriculum and mindset. So most of all, thank you for being refreshingly subversive. I'm so sorry that the powers-that-be punish that kind of thing now, but I appreciate your integrity more than you will ever know.
Sincerely,
THAT girl's mom.
