Receive a Graduation Gift for Your Child in Kindergarten
When my son was in preschool, I saw that there was an idea in my parenting circles: choose a sentimental book and, starting in kindergarten, ask the teacher to write him a note on the page of the book. Do this every year in high school. Give him the book on the day of graduation.
Admittedly, I never had time for this, and he is currently finishing his second grade. But I don’t think it’s too late! You can start any year; even a book with messages exclusively from high school teachers will make a difference.
Book selection
The original suggestion I heard was to use a copy of Dr. Seuss’s book Oh Places You Go . It’s kind of an obvious choice for me, as I still can’t read this book without gasping for breath.
Another interesting choice is a book of fun poetry such as Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein. The teacher can scroll through and select a poem that he likes or that reminds him of your child and write his message on this page. The result would be a funny end result, when all the messages are mixed and not in chronological order, but with an additional semantic layer.
You can also choose a book that was one of your early / preschool child’s favorite books. Maybe Where the Wild Beasts are or Rosie Revere, engineer . Try to choose something classic that won’t bother you in a decade. As much as my kid likes the Dinosaur Love briefs , I don’t really want to pass it on to his sophomore history teacher.
Receiving messages
In elementary school, you will definitely want each of your child’s primary class teachers to be involved in writing their own message. Think also of other special adults in school that your child really likes or spends a lot of time with. Maybe they are always in awe of their art teacher, or because they need to take medication regularly, they spend more time than usual in the nurse’s office. A few additional messages will make the book even more special.
When they go to middle and high school, it would be a feat to try and get all of their teachers to write messages. But by the end of the school year, you will know which teachers they really interacted with, learned from, and respected. Also consider finding their favorite volleyball coach, group instructor, or out-of-school mentor.
The last parent-teacher conference of the school year is a good time to do it logistically, but you can also call or email the teacher with your request and – if they say yes! …
Give a gift
On the day of your high school graduation, present a packed book to your grown-up child and cry together forever.