A Thank You Note to My EA Before the Year Has Even Started

 Dear Educational Assistant,

You might think it's strange, me writing you a thank you note even before I know who you are, even before our year has begun. I know, normally we say thank you for a wonderful year, we say thank you for being there for each other. But I want to say thank you, now. Thank you for coming into this school year ready to help me help these students have the best year. In case you don't know me (you must be new to this school in that case), I absolutely, 100% love kindergarten. It has my heart and my soul. I hope, by the end of this year, it will have captured yours as well. In order to start you off on this year of wonder, I wanted to share this gift with you!

First off is a box of KD-Kraft Dinner as they call it in Canada. Welcome to KD! I got you a box of Sharp Cheddar KD because we are going to have to stay sharp this year. These students may be new to school, but they are going to keep us on our toes. I also got you a box of Spiral KD- because sometimes things are going to get all topsy turvy and we're going to need to be flexible.

I got you some Lime Bubly- lime to match the room, and Bubly because some days we're going to have to depend on someones bubbles to keep us going!

Some rose coloured glasses, because we are going to need to see the bright side of so much this year.

There are some glow sticks, because even if we can't always shine, we can at least glow! 

And chocolate. We all need chocolate at one time or another.

And then there are a few other things: a shiny silver necklace, a microphone, some play dough, a magical kaleidoscope, and bubbles. Why these things? Because the best part of kindergarten is Play. 

We are going to play this year. Play is not a way to teach, nor is it a way to learn. Play is life, and in kindergarten it is what we do. The other day I was at the beach and listening to a group of children as they dug moats in order to protect the sandbar they were on from the encroaching tide. What they were doing was as real as anyone in New Orleans as they struggled to keep Hurricane Ida at bay. They weren't pretending to be civil engineers, they were civil engineers.

In my class we will play. We will all play. Some teachers in some schools may ask you to take the child with "special needs" out of the room to learn. In my class, as far as can be, we stay. We learn together. That child doesn't have special needs, but special rights in KD. And we will defend those rights this year.

And, finally, there is a journal, and some fancy markers and a really super fancy pencil case. When we aren't playing (and when we are) we are going to be telling stories. While they are telling their stories, we will be their scribes. We will be the keepers of their words until they get to the point where they can be the keepers of their own words. 

So, my EA, thank you. Thank you for buying into this crazy experiment called Kindergarten. We may not know what the future holds, but we know what we can do. We can do our part to create the classroom community these young learners need in order to grow and develop.

Thank you for being here on this crazy ride. Now, let's make that box of spiral KD! 

Carrie