Celebrating Teachers Appreciation Week and Mother's Day This Week

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Hello and welcome to the J Q Rose blog!

This week in the U.S. we are celebrating special people in our lives as we observe Teacher Appreciation Week and Mother's Day. (Mother's Week would be appropriate too since it really would take more than one day to celebrate all the things moms do for us!!)

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week from JQ Rose.

Combining this post with Mother's Day and Teacher Appreciation Week is right on for me in my situation because my mother was my second grade teacher! In our small elementary school in Central Illinois, our second and third grade classes were big enough to need an extra teacher, but not enough to make a full second classroom of students. So instead, the overflow of students was placed in one room made up of second AND third graders. Kind of like the days when there were one room schoolhouses with all grades in one open room. 

My mother was assigned the task of teaching both classes in her one classroom. Having Mom as my teacher was difficult for both of us. From my perspective, as her daughter, she was harder on me than on any other kids in the class. I didn't realize at the time she didn't want anyone to accuse her of showing any favoritism toward me.

A photo of my mom, my second grade teacher.

As trying for me to have her as a teacher, she faced issues in her grown-up world of combatting those who might think she just gave me A's because I was her daughter. To avoid that criticism, she had the other second grade teacher grade my papers and tests. 

When Mother's Day came around that spring, our class made art projects to surprise our mothers. Since my mother knew what the gift was going to be, I walked up to her and asked her, "Since I don't have a mother, can I make this project for my grandmother Maw?" She told me many years later, it tore her heart when I said I didn't have a mother, even though she realized in my 7-year-old mind, I meant I couldn't surprise her with the gift. We laughed about it realizing in our hearts how difficult that year had been for both of us.

This weekend we honor mothers and women who are important in our lives.

Wishing all you Moms 

and women who are special to a child, 

a very

Happy Mother's Day!

If you have a mom, grandma, aunt, or woman in your life, grab her and give her a big hug and kiss.

Are you a teacher? Thank you. Are you a Mom? Thank you.