Worth Repeating: Mrs. Spitzer’s Garden
Third grade. THIRD GRADE! I can’t believe I have a child who is (or will be, in about a week) in Third Grade. Third grade is for big kids, not my sweet baby boy. Third grade is for book reports and overnight field trips and dioramas about dinosaurs and the Rocky Mountains.
I’m going to have a coronary when Scrappy starts Kindergarten. At least I have one more year to get used to THAT idea.
The end of the year brings the need for Just The Right Gift to show our teachers just how much we appreciate them. For my boys, lovable hooligans that they are, I am especially appreciative of the men and women who have nurtured them, believed in them, and prayed for them this year (and every year). My dear friend Aimee told me about this a couple of years ago, and it’s been my end-of-the-year gift of choice ever since.
Mrs. Spitzer is a wise teacher who knows many things. She knows about gardens. She knows about children. She knows how similar they are. And how they will flourish if tended lovingly.
She knows that different plants need different things. And that each plant has its own shape. Some of the plants grow quickly, pushing upward, eager, impatient.
Some grow more slowly, unfolding themselves bit by bit. Some plants sprout thin and tall. Some are bushy and wide-spreading. Some are bold, showy. They are brightly colored, saying “Look at me!” Some are silvery and quiet, the color of the earth. A few are like wildflowers and will grown anywhere you put them.And some need gentle care, a special watching-over.
Scooby and Scrappy will give this to their teachers, yet again, this year. I’ve been so surprised that they haven’t already received dozens of copies from other students. Once you read it, you’ll understand. At the suggestion of another parent, this year I’m going to tape their picture on this inside and will have them decorate the inside cover a bit, in their own words.
Adelle Gabrielson 