Hey Mamma,

I see you. I see you wandering the aisles in Target with your three children.

I see you being patient while they touch everything.

I see you clutching your kids' classroom supply lists in one hand, and your cell phone calculator in the other.

I see you rifling through boxes of three-pronged folders making sure that you find each of the required colors.

I see you telling your kids to put back the $5 pretty notebook in favor of the $2 one with pain in your eyes.

I see you carefully counting glue sticks and tallying up dollar amounts.

I see you looking around for the cheaper pencil boxes. Why are they so expensive, anyway?

I see you ensuring that you fulfill your children's teachers wish lists despite the obvious financial strain that it is putting on your budget.

I see you teaching your children to value their educations by providing them with the necessary materials to be successful.

I see you respecting your children' teachers by ensuring that your kids have what they need, because we spend lots of our own money on our classrooms, too.

I see you getting your kids excited for another School year with pretty new notebooks and pencils and lunch boxes.

I see you teaching your kids that their education comes first, no matter how difficult it can be.

I see you.

I see you because I am in Target, too, buying extra pencils for the kids who will show up with none.

I am buying extra glue sticks so that our projects are completed with ease.

I am buying extra paper, because there is never enough.

I am buying decorations so that your children feel welcome and secure in my classroom.

I am buying eraser caps that that your children don't fret about their mistakes.

I am buying stickers to celebrate their success.

I see you.

I see you, and I appreciate you.

Sincerely,

A Teacher