This post was sponsored by Crayola as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

On the last day of my daughter’s 3rd grade and my son’s kindergarten year, I picked up two sad kids at the end of the day! I couldn’t believe it. Weren’t they excited for SUMMER BREAK and all things ice cream, sprinklers and beach? While they were excited about summer, their initial feelings were of sadness. They both grew tremendously in those 10 months and both had the kinds of teachers you remember forever. Although to be fair, I have never had a teacher I’ve forgotten. Never ever!

Scarlet was having trouble with the end of the school year because she had grown close with her 3rd grade teacher, Ms. Cleary. Ms. Cleary had given all of her students beach buckets full of goodies on the last day of school. The bucket made a shifting noise in our car, and for weeks, I couldn’t listen to that sound without feeling sad. To be honest, it still affects me.

And I’m ok with that. I embrace that sadness, because it means love, loss, and growth. I have trouble moving on and I remember how it felt when I was kid. As a parent, it feels more powerful because I’m more of a bystander in the relationship between teacher and student. Ultimately, it’s not about me and it never should be about me, but gosh, I’m so happy my kids have found the kinds of teachers that change lives. And like I said, I’d be hard-pressed to find a teacher that won’t in my children’s school. Each teacher and each year is a powerful building block paving the way for an enriching life.

Recently, I told you about the Crayola Thank A Teacher contest. Well now I’m telling you about it again, because the contest will close on August 25th, so this is your last chance to enter! This week, Scarlet wrote her note so that we could enter the contest as well. Scarlet sat down with me and created a Thank You Note for Ms. Cleary. We had to wipe tears from our eyes when she was done! I didn’t help her at all, and I love her writing. I love that she identified what she loved about 3rd grade.

Ms. Cleary has a gift for a cohesive classroom. At the end of the school year, I didn’t even recognize a few kids in Scarlet’s class at an end of year party because they had grown tremendously in that loving classroom. Scarlet is someone who embraces, and is embraced by, such a nurturing environment, but I saw tremendous maturity in her too. She took this classroom, this class, and her role in it quite seriously. I think that’s why she was sad at the end of the year, and that’s why the red beach bucket made me cry. The Thank A Teacher campaign gives our children a chance to express themselves, change lives, AND potentially be rewarded for it. Although I think we can all agree that the emotional rewards are best.

In May on National Teacher Appreciation Day, Crayola launched “Thank A Teacher” – an initiative to celebrate and thank teachers across the country for their commitment to students, learning, and creativity. Crayola asked the nation to join in to generate 1 million teacher thank-yous on social media, using #CrayolaThanks. This initative coincided with the brand’s 115th anniversary and history of honoring teachers. Binney & Smith created the first box of crayons in 1903. Alice Binney, a schoolteacher, and wife of co-founder Edwin, named the new crayons – “Crayola.” We can obtain 1 million thank-yous for teachers together! Visit Crayola.com/ThankATeacher through August 25th, 2018, to upload your child’s handmade thank you note, and show a teacher your appreciation. And, for the chance to win prizes for your family, teacher, and school!

Crayola will award 10 finalists with prize packs inclusive of:

$10,000 classroom makeover for the teacher
One year supply of Crayola products for the school
$1,000 scholarship for the student
$1,000 gift card for both the teacher and school
Free CreatEd seminar for the school

And for the grand prize, one finalist will have his or her Thank You note featured on a special box of Crayola Crayons for the holiday season this year. Also, a weekly sweepstakes will run concurrently with the contest, offering entrants a chance to win $500 gift cards for themselves and their teachers.