Ms. Livingston's Front Porch Photos

I got teary eyed when these showed up in my inbox this morning. Isaac's amazing teacher, Ms. Livingston, drove all around town this week to see her students and say 'hi' from her car. On top of being an awesome teacher, she's a very talented photographer, and said that for anyone who wanted one, she'd be happy to snap a front porch family photo. Isaac asked if we could do one that was special that would always help him remember it came from his teacher. Him and Annie worked on the sign before she came over, and he was beaming to come out with it when we saw her car drive up! I don't know if we've ever had such a great smile from Isaac in a family photo :-)

I've thought a lot, and mourned my share, about the time my kids aren't getting with their teachers for so much of the school year. They were blessed with truly incredible, talented, dedicated, and amazing teachers that were just perfect for each of them at this stage in their education. The fact they miss two and a half months, especially some of the funnest memory making times at school in a given year, is just heart wrenching to me. But I've also thought a lot about how impactful these particular teachers will forever be in my children's lives. They will tell their kids and grandkids about the global pandemic from their childhoods, the historic school year that happened to be their 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th grade years. And these teachers, the ones they spent time with on Zoom, interacted with through Canvas, watched YouTube videos of them teaching math, sent them videos, the teachers that took them on virtual field trips, the teachers they learned from while they spent the day cozy in their pajamas -- and the memories they are creating with each of them -- will be among their most impactful, unforgettable, and unique of their childhoods. These teachers are intrinsically tied to some of the most historical and memorable experiences in their lives thus far, and the memories and stories of these teachers will live on in an incredibly unique way.