She handed me the papers neatly assembled and stuck together by a staple. Each paper was filled with throughly detailed educational milestones listed to the left, and how Lily was progressing with each milestone was marked to the right. I was pleased to see the progression that had occurred throughout the year, a progression that I knew full well had almost nothing to do with how much I have educated my daughter at home (because if I am honest “milk and cookies and play time” is the most exotic our extracurricular activities get these days when she is at home) and almost everything to do with the two lovely ladies sitting across from me.
These ladies sat patiently on two tiny worn wooden preschool chairs, the same type I was seated in too. Whilst I squirmed around to try and get some amount of my behind comfortable for the ten minutes that comprised my parent teacher meeting, I realized they had been sitting in these mini chairs for hours and were most likely sore to the bone because of it. That's when I turned my attention back to what she was saying, as I probably should have been doing all along instead of fidgeting distractedly like a 5 year old.
"She really is doing wonderfully, she is getting better at putting consonant sounds together and reading them aloud, she has become very well versed in the number boards and has been a great supportive and fun friend to everyone. I really think she is right where we want our kids to be at for going into the El1 class next year." Then it hit me... I had prepared myself for the heartache that would come with seeing my baby girl transition to a new classroom next year but I hadn't prepared myself for saying goodbye to the two familiar faces in front of me that had impacted not only my daughters life for the past 3 years, but also in turn my own.
Lily's teacher had taught Lily from 8:30a-3:30p day in and day out for the past 3 years, her assistant teacher had seen her through the past two. My brain flashed with each happy and tragic event that our little family had endured in these three years. The addition of a spunky little boy that made Lily a big sister and who was now running circles around my husband, about to rain destruction on this tidy and perfectly organized Montessori classroom. My unexpected diagnosis of cancer only a few short months after Lily’s brother joined our family. The thyroid surgery that left me with a scar on my neck and a chronic illness that was at the moment making my legs go tingly and numb in said tiny chair. A round of radiation treatment that rid my body of the cancer that had plagued it. Countless bouts of sickness, hospital visits, and visiting relatives helping with each new life event. And now our family is in the middle of a topsy turvy move that has sent our little world of home into disarray, disorder, and confusion.
I realized that they had been walking alongside my daughter for the most tired, most joyful, most painful, most traumatic, most tumultuous, most upheaval filled years I had known. Yet through it all, they had been a constant to her. A constant source of love, a constant source of knowledge, a constant source of joy, a constant source of constance in the midst of a chaotic life. I hadn’t stepped back to see the gigantic gorgeous picture of heartfelt care and careful guidance my sweet girl had been blessed with every day.
And Lily’s story, my story, our family’s story was only one of the 26 stories these remarkable women saw and walked alongside of every day. What diligent strength, what courage of heart, what wealth of wisdom these ladies possess to be able to be a source of constance to their students who walked in to school every day from all different paths of life.
That is a wonderful teacher for you. They walk alongside students right where they are at in their story and they encourage them to progress, to grow, to sharpen their skills and to never stop learning, even if there is a storm of chaos when they get home. I will never forget those faces and the peace they brought to me and to my daughter during these past years.
Today is teacher appreciation day and so I take this moment to speak up and say bravo to these courageous teachers, these leaders and cultivators. I see you. I see the never stopping, back breaking, heart overflowing, hope ever abounding, always challenging work that flows out of you every school day. I see you, I appreciate you, and I will always support you.
My son's class celebrated Teachers Appreciation week last week so my daughter and I whipped up some fresh berry cupcakes for his teachers as well as a batch for her teachers. The recipe that follows is for the raspberry lemonade ones pictured, I'll save the recipe for the blueberry vanilla cupcakes (also pictured) for a future post. Enjoy and don't forget to reach out to a teacher you appreciate this week and let them know how they have impacted you and/or your children's lives!
Lemon Cupcakes
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pans
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1 ½ cups sugar
2 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 muffin pans with cupcake wrappers.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. With mixer on low, beat in eggs and yolks, one at a time. Beat in lemon juice. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined.
Using an ice cream scoop to ensure even and precise measurement, fill each cupcake liner 3/4 of the way full with batter and smooth the tops once all liners filled. Bake until cupcakes are just barely golden brown on the sides and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from pans and let cool completely on wire baking racks before piping the buttercream on to them.
Raspberry Buttercream
Ingredients:
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut in to cubes
2 pints raspberries
Directions:
Place the raspberries in to a food processor and blend until they are a smooth puree. Strain the puree through a mesh strainer until you have about 1- 1 1/2 cups completely smooth puree.
Place whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture registers 160 degrees on a candy thermometer.
Remove from heat, and pour mixture in to a stand mixer.
Whisk on medium-high speed until the mixture has cooled and stiff, glossy peaks have formed. Reduce speed to medium, and add butter, 1 piece at a time, whisking well after each addition
With mixer on low, slowly add the raspberry puree, about a 1/4-1/2 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly with each addition.
Assembly
Fit a piping bag with a 10 mm star, or french, piping tip and fill the piping bag with buttercream. Pipe a rosette on to each cupcake large enough that the buttercream covers the entire cupcake. Enjoy in the summertime amongst friends and/or family while sipping iced tea… or enjoy them how and whenever you choose, these beauties are delicious really any time of year!
A quick snap shot I took and posted to Instagram before delivering these lovelies :)