Take the pride of your mother and father in the son that you are - A thank-you letter to the teacher

Our child.

Take the pride of your mother and father in the son that you are,

In the path you walk, in the obstacles you overcome on your challenging journey, in the choices you make,

And in the battles you fight.

A beautiful middle child who, at the age of 4, was diagnosed with a language difficulty, severe retrieval challenges, which led to struggles with anger management and social difficulties.

And so, we began the race...

Occupational therapy, speech therapy, emotional therapy of one kind and then another, psychological evaluation, neurological evaluation, and over time, integration committees, psycho-didactic evaluations, emotional and medicinal treatments.

The open door, the listening ear, and the incredible collaboration with the amazing educational staff at school – the educational counselor Edith Milshtein, the principal Batia Mualem, the subject teachers, the emotional therapist, and above all, throughout the journey, one homeroom teacher. She met him in grades 2-3 and taught him how to learn. She met him again in grade 5. All the seeds she planted in him – seeds of faith, hope, and immense strength – all the love she nurtured him with began to sprout, and he is starting to bloom. Even in moments of difficulty (and there were many), she made sure to remind him how much she believes in him. She proved it time and again through her actions. She never waited for a meeting or a big parent-teacher conference to encourage and praise his successes.

Throughout the journey, small and big successes. He is reaping the fruits along the way. At first, they tasted unripe, but as the tree grew, the fruits became more beautiful and tastier, leaving a taste for more. My child, who carries a backpack full of labels and diagnoses, is beginning to believe in himself!

Carlebach was right when he said, "Every child needs at least one adult who believes in them."

My child was fortunate. And it’s so far from being taken for granted.

We were fortunate to have a homeroom teacher with the tools to work with and teach him. We were fortunate to have a homeroom teacher who sees the child beyond and before the grades. Who sees and shows him the incredible progress he has made, even and especially when it was really, really hard.

As parents of three ADHD children and as a professional counselor and parent guide, I know this is not taken for granted.

This triangle of parent – educational staff – child must work in constant synchronization. Teachers and educators in schools must be equipped with tools to help children who struggle. Above all, educators must have a genuine sense of mission from the heart and gut because what Ayelet Hashachar gives to our Matan cannot be faked!!! It’s the real thing. I wish every parent would take a step forward and find a way to advocate for their children within the system. To create a positive and productive communication channel with the staff that will enlist them for the child’s benefit. I wish every parent whose child has a difficulty or limitation would find the best way to do the best they can for their children.

And I wish every child a homeroom teacher who truly sees them beneath all the masks of difficulty, who knows how to penetrate the armor and plant seeds of faith, hope, and strength.

Today, Matan came home with a standardized test in Hebrew. I asked him how he felt. He said to me, "Mom, all these years, Hebrew was the subject that was hardest for me. And now I’m succeeding!"

I asked him what helped him succeed.

He answered, "Ayelet, you, and Dad. Because you always believe in me."

Ayelet Hashachar Abutbul,

After everything I’ve written, I feel words fall short of expressing and describing our appreciation for you. And it’s true that the year isn’t over yet, and it’s not time for summaries. We were fortunate that you saw our eldest son in first grade and identified the difficulty. Then we were fortunate again when you became Matan’s homeroom teacher. You showed us the way and accompanied us along it, and I hope Matan will have another year with you. And maybe our youngest son will also have the privilege of being seen by you. And I hope there are more homeroom teachers like you in the world, whom we will meet along our challenging and demanding journey.

Thank you.

So take the pride of your students in the teacher that you are!

You deserve all the recognition and appreciation!

Ilana and Dan Cahana