Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Emma Claire's Teacher Letter

I can not believe that this is Emma Claire's last year in preschool. Next year she will be in kindergarten! Where has the time gone? We'll talk more about it later because I am already starting to shed tears.

Cindy Douglass will be in Emma Claire's teacher this upcoming school year and before school started she wanted to the parents to write a note about their child to help her best know how to serve them. I wanted to record that letter before I turned it in so that Emma Claire could read it when she gets older.


August 30, 2011


Cindy & Starla-


Emma Claire is so full of life. She absolutely thrives on learning and loves to experience new things. She is “all girl” who dreams of princesses and long twirling dresses, but she has a precious streak of red-headed country girl—digging in the dirt is a happy treat…in her dress, no doubt.


Emma Claire is a natural leader who doesn’t mind assuming authority and delegating responsibility. And, she’s sensitive to the “least of these” around her who have few friends. She’s curious, inquisitive, and thoughtful. Her wheels are always turning seeking to understand how Jesus is God, and what happens when we die. She loves to talk about Jesus dying on the cross, and isn’t shy to ask a complete stranger if they “know God.” Today we even had a service man at our house and she asked him if he knew that “we were ALL children of God”. She understands the concept that we are all sinners and that the only perfect sinless person who ever lived was Jesus and she loves to share that story with others.


As parents we strive to help Emma Claire be the best person she can be and serve God in all she does. We remind her that foolishness is sin and that to honor God we seek to make wise decisions in all that we do. As most children her age do, Emma Claire struggles with arguing and trying to get her way. As parents it is very hard stay consistent with correction, teaching her to honor others before herself and to obey those in authority over her. We have to remember that if we are honoring God first then these things come out of the overflow of that relationship. Our prayer is that one day Emma Claire will make that decision to have faith in Jesus and to let Him rescue her from the evil of sin and death.


Emma Claire loves just about anything. She is one of those children who will get so excited about just the simplest of things. She enjoys barbies, babies, writing, coloring, drawing, art, playing anything pretend, movies, music, and Bible stories. Emma Claire has a HUGE imagination and just loves all that life has to offer. She absolutely adores her little brother and will often put his interest before her own.


One thing about Emma Claire is that she can go from a low sad to high happy in just a matter of minutes. You will see this when I drop her off in the mornings because she has always had a hard time separating from Mommy. But once I’m gone, in a matter minutes she is off enjoying whatever the class activity is. You will also see this when she doesn’t get her way. One thing I am very proud of Emma Claire for is that she realizes when she needs to take a time out. If she is involved in something and she feels herself getting upset she will say she just needs a few minutes by herself. I will usually tell her that she can have a few moments alone but when she comes back she needs to have a change of heart with a new attitude. Usually within a few minutes she is back up and playing and back to her happy self. When I see Emma Claire at her happiest it’s when she is learning something new and getting to experience something with excitement.


We see Emma Claire as a happy but critical learner. She thrives on understanding new concepts, but she doesn’t simply take someone’s word for it. She wants to know the “why” behind the “what,” and we see this as seeking understanding. Knowing the answer is one thing; knowing why the answer is what it is and how to apply it is another—this is what Emma Claire is after, and this speaks volumes about who she is as a person.


We are so excited about his school year and know that Emma Claire will gain so much from being in your classroom. We will continue to keep you in our prayers as you seek to serve and love these children everyday. Please feel free to let us know if there is anything we can do to serve you.


Benjamin & Ashley Quinn


She also asked us to list some of our short term and long term goals for her so that she could be working on them in the classroom.

Short Term Goals (by Dec. 2011)
  • Separate from Mommy easier in the mornings.
  • Quicker to obey the first time.
  • Play well with others.
Long Term Goals (by May 2012)
  • Recognize letters and sounds better.
  • Become a better listener, listen more - talk less.
  • Exercise self-control (over reacting).
I am so excited to have a teacher so eager and intent on wanting to know the best way that she can help serve my child!

1 comment:

  1. Ashley, did you write this letter or Benjamin? It's funny, some paragraphs sound just like you, and others sound like him!
    I LOVE this idea - what wonderful teachers EC has this year!!!

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