It’s funny how you never realize when something is the last time you’ll be doing it. Your children asking for a bedtime story, the Halloween where they aren’t trick or treating anymore, that Christmas when they don’t believe in Santa anymore, it slips by so fast that you don’t even notice. Today was the last day I would be taking and picking up Hannah from her high school. I felt it and it was a bittersweet emotion.

If you know our story at all, 9th grade, for her, was awful, terrible and a no good year. There were times during that year that we didn’t know if she was going to make it. She missed 40+ days of school. She had massive panic attacks that sunk her into a deep depression. There was a lot. It’s her story to tell, but we were lost, afraid and prayed a lot. There was also a lot of therapy and medication, which she no longer needs to take. Today was special. It is the beginning of a new chapter and the closing of another.

I’d like to say thank you to Pine Tree I.S.D. Thank you for failing my child. Thank you for not stepping up when I was begging you for help. Thank you for teachers that accused my daughter of lying about having a fake phone and making her feel already worse about herself than she already did. Thank you for letting the kids say mean, cruel things to her and make fun of her. Because of this, no matter how pretty she looks, the cruel things said to her will always be louder, in her mind, than the compliments she now receives. And I’m thanking you because if it wasn’t for your failings we would never have found her safe haven.

East Texas Charter School, you will never know how grateful we have been these last few years for you accepting Hannah into the fold. Thank you for being the nurturing place where she has come into herself. Because of the teachers who actually care about their students she has far surpassed what we had envisioned for her. She now WANTS to go to college where before she couldn’t even think of going to school the next day. You have given her confidence which to us is priceless. ETCS, you will always hold such a special place in our hearts.

And any parent reading this who has a child going through a situation like we went through, don’t give up. Keep fighting for your child. We went to the Texas Teacher’s Association and had lawyers looking into our case. Be a thorn in the schools side, if you want them to stay in that school. If you don’t, check out charter schools. They are small and the teachers are actually able to teach the kids in a much better setting.

Another last today was the call I got because Hannah got dress coded. That will be the last time that I have to run clothes up to her. I told her principal that an award needs to be handed out to her for being dress coded the most times while at ETCS. That one, I don’t think I’ll miss. Let the new chapter begin. We’re ready for it.