I Love Joshua Day

This teacher's not-so-random act of kindness has become one of my most memorable mommy moments.

You might know the feeling. You’re in a meeting when the phone buzzes in your pocket or purse. You can’t get outside quickly enough and you miss a call from your child's school. You try frantically to call back, but you’re not even sure who was calling in the first place. The counselor? The nurse? His teacher? The principal? Oh, please NOT the principal! There’s a beep while you’re on the other line trying to figure it out that indicates that whoever called has left a message.  Her message made me cry. Inside and out, a bit from relief but mostly from the feeling of joy I was experiencing. I seriously started sobbing because I could hear him in the background. And I could feel his excitement and pride as Mrs. Bockart said out loud, “I’m calling ‘cause today is I Love Joshua Day in my classroom and I just want to tell you what a fantastic kid he is and how much I enjoy having him in my class. He always smiles and always has a positive attitude and he always gives 110% and I couldn’t ask for anything more.” She went on to say that they were sorry that they’d missed me and that they hoped I enjoyed their message.  Joshua’s teacher had made a 30-second phone call that totally made my day. And talk about a win-win for Joshua, his role model bragging to his mom about him, explaining what makes him special and why she loves him. I didn’t have to see his face to know that my child was beaming from ear to ear.  And that night, Joshua said a prayer of thanks for Mrs. Bockart, ‘cause she finds the good in everybody. Then he added slyly, “Even if they’re bad.” No wonder she loves that kid!

 This thoughtful, compassionate teacher weaves this amazing climate of caring into her classroom with planned acts of kindness, like taking the time to share that message with Joshua's number one fan, me. She teaches her students by example and helps them to be better every day, not only at reading and language arts, but at smiling and staying positive, at trusting and caring, at being in the moment and being a good friend.  Her small act went a VERY long way and rippled out in so many directions for me that afternoon. 
 We carried I Love Joshua Day on into the night, of course, and have been looking for ways to pay it forward ever since.  Thank you, Mrs. Bockart!