Thank you may seem like such a simple word, yet it is a word that has the immense opportunity to carry a whole lot of meaning, appreciation, gratitude and it sometimes represents plain old-fashioned politeness.

From the very moment a person learns to talk, they are presumably taught how to say thank you. After a while it becomes an automated action, that we sometimes fail to know the value and then take a whole lot of things for granted without giving thanks.

School is out for summer holidays and as I watched my youngest hug his teacher goodbye, and told her how he would miss her, that little gesture spoke volumes to me.

At the start of school year, we had just moved to this vicinity/school district and I was a bit anxious as a parent as to how well my kids will adjust to their new schools and curricula, especially coming from British oriented school curricula to American curriculum. All through this school session, I had listened to their narrations about each school day while holding my breath.

At the onset, we floundered a little bit and agreeably some days were perplexing but we quickly caught on with the way the land lay on this side, and not one day did my children express a negative feedback or not feel like going to school. My worries about their adjustment and making friends soon turned to immense relief and gratitude.

After you as their parents, their teachers are poised to be the next most influential person in your child’s life and they are also responsible in imparting some of life’s most important lessons and social skills which are not detailed in the syllabus.

I have three children who are very active and there are days I wonder how a teacher manages to keep a bunch of fifteen to twenty-five children attentive for six to eight hours without pulling out all their hair in exasperation. I came to realize that the teachers must really enjoy teaching. They must enjoy having their students around them and imparting selflessly on these younger ones who look up to them for direction.

Most of the time, they go above and beyond their call of duty in the education of our children.

To the Amanda Spiegelman’s, Carolina Loria, Dawn Stevens,  Haley Bassett, Gbemi Olowookere’s and the teachers of this World who give selflessly, saying thank you is hardly enough, yet this is one of the means  to appreciate your kindness, support, patience and understanding.

In my place it is said that “we should keep our eyes open to our little mercies, because the man who forgets to be thankful has fallen asleep in life”, thus in my indigenous Ibo language, I will say, “Ji sie ike, dalu nu”. Well done and thank you all.

Some might wave it off and say you are just doing your jobs, but I firmly believe that you are doing so much more. You are helping to mold the future generation. Keep up the good work.

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha