A Valentine Letter

It is on the eve of this Valentine's Day that I feel inspired to write and say, "I LOVE Valley Pre-School, and the children, and the families, and the wonderfully dedicated group of talented and creative women with whom I have the privilege of working.

As an educator, I am so fortunate to be among colleagues who are supportive, committed, and compassionate. Women who share ideas, are each other's biggest fans, and who enjoy being together.  We laugh ALOT and have fun...so much of it whenever we're together and it's all for the good of your children.

As a facilitator of discovery and growth for your child, I have the blessing of spending every day with your precious little ones.  It is such a treat to get to experience their joy, to be reminded of the importance of viewing life through the lens of a child, and to share in their triumphs again and again. Each night, when we sit for dinner, my husband Peter looks at me, smiles and says, "You had ANOTHER great day, didn't you?" "Oh yes!" I say. Honestly, where else can you sit and enjoy a Valentine snack treat while being informed of one of life's important tidbits as a child says, "Did you know that you're more likely to be killed by a vending machine than to be bitten by a great white shark?" So now you know why I always have a smile on my face.

As an observer of this dedicated group of parents who are Valley Pre-School, I get to watch with pride as you come together to work for your children's education knowing that your involvement makes a difference.  I get to watch as life-long relationships are born as a result of working together as a community. I get to marvel at the willingness of families to use their individual talents and take on a challenge.  Just today as I was getting in my car to come to school I was trying to figure out the puzzle of how I would clear a path to our playground so that our children could enjoy this glorious snow. When I got to school, there was a dad who was already shoveling and who then went home to bring his snowblower to school to clear the way into and around the playground. He said, "I just wanted to do something to help", and "Please call me whenever you need anything like that done again."  I had tears in my eyes at his willingness and his spontaneous gift.

Those gifts from each of you happen over and over and over again. It is YOU who make our school work.  You are an example of every virtue we present to your children over the year and they learn best from you!

Your children have been or soon will be introduced to "Kindness - Doing things for others that make their day happier shows kindness.  You can be kind to people or animals or to the earth. Kindness means to care for others and the earth as much as or more than you care about yourself."

Teacher/Director