My mother died in 1998, so Mother’s Day brings me a lot of memories. My family had ten kids, and because I was the oldest I had frequent opportunities to practice mothering, and for years I said I was never going to have kids myself. Then when I was old enough to realize how much kids can add to your life, circumstances never did cooperate for me to be a mother. Instead I became a teacher, a job where you get to do some of the most intense part-time mothering imaginable.

So many things I learned from my own mother helped make me an effective teacher, and I often make comments to students and hear my mother’s words coming out of my mouth! This week we made Mother’s Day presents in school, framed poems with the word M-O-T-H-E-R and a word describing the student’s mother for each letter. When I came back to my desk after lunch that day, I found this poem a student had written for me. I loved sharing these kinds of things with my mother when she was alive, so I decided to post the poem today in memory of her.

Thanks to Jerrika, who’s the kind of student any teacher would just adore. I loved the poem and appreciate her letting me share it here. Happy Mother’s Day also to my lovely stepmother Norma, and all the other mothers who are being honored around the world.

Share This: