Dear Student, I am so sorry for what is happening to you, sincerely your teacher.

From a reader:

Dear Primary Elementary Student, 
 
I want to offer my deepest apologies for what you are experiencing this year.   I want you to know that you are entitled to a great education.   I have strived in my all my years to provide each student with that education, but I can't give it to you.  I must explain that the curriculum that is appropriate for your age and developmental level  is no longer being used.   As I try to teach you the basics, I can not take the time with you and show you the way because the district says we are behind on the curriculum guide.  I HAVE  to combine these lessons so that we stay on the mandated lessons, not the lessons that are best for you or your classmates. 
 
I know that your misbehavior means that you are frustrated, and I truly know what I should do.  However, the district mandate says that I have to fill out these papers and follow the proper protocol before you can get the right help for extra food, glasses, hearing aids, counseling, or any other services you may require.   The timeline on this protocol can be from 6 months to 3 years.   Please know that I spoke on your behalf, I wrote up document after document, but it was not enough to get you the help you needed because the people at the table didn't believe me.    
 
I am so sorry that I came back and demanded more than you could possibly give me.   I am sorry I made you cry because you didn't understand.   I will tell you the truth,  I didn't understand many of those lessons myself because I wasn't trained correctly or supported by district staff in the proper ways to help you understand the logic of the lessons.   They were too concerned about getting home on time and having too much work to do, so I had to do the best I could.   If I had enough time to properly analyze your work, I would have seen the error pattern you were making and I could have corrected it, instead I had to rely on a computer program that goes down twice a week when you try to work on it.     I know that the computer did not teach you the same strategies as I did and it was confusing.   Please forgive me for not being able to fix all those computer glitches that wasted your time and effort and made you repeat your work.   
 
Please know that even when I was angry and my voice was rough, I still loved you.   I still wanted the most for you.   I tried with every breadth of my soul to fix it everyday until I was ultimately defeated.   Please know that it took putting me in the hospital, sacrificing time with my own family, or even losing the job I loved so much just to protect you from all of this.  In the end, we both lost. 
 
Sincerely, 
 
Your Loving  Teacher

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