Ask a child about their most embarrassing moment from school, and you may hear stories of tripping in the hall, stumbling over words while reading aloud, or losing their train of thought during a presentation. I would argue that the one moment that takes the cake, however, is when a child intends to call the teacher by name but mistakenly refers to her as, “Mom.” That can be a point in time that really makes a child’s toes curl! Believe it or not, in a classroom setting, it happens more than you would think.
As a teacher, when this has happened to me, I laugh it off with the child, chalk it up to a simple mix-up, and help the student overcome any embarrassment. I always thought of it this way until I got a handmade birthday card from my student, Nick.
Nick was a sweet boy who had mistakenly called me mom just a few days prior. He had a tough home life and struggled with academics. I always had a soft spot for Nick, as I knew about his life outside of school. The words he wrote made me think differently about his embarrassing slip-up earlier that week.
“Dear Mrs. Romolo: you are the best techer in the world and always you are not mean to us, you are the best teacher I ever sall and it fells like you are my mom. Happy Birthday. Love, Nick”
This sweet note made me realize that those little mix-ups may actually mean a little bit more. Teachers so often underestimate their impression on students’ hearts. I believe that I have been placed in the classroom for so much more than teaching mathematics. Nick helped me understand that my behavior affected his life in a way that I never thought of before. It is my hope that all teachers know the impact they have on children and treat their students with all the love and kindness of a “Mom.”
-Anne Romolo, Bales Fifth Grade Teacher
