My 5-year-old showed me her drawing, marked with her teacher Miss A’s harsh note: “Next time, do better!” Furious, I was stunned when my husband crumpled and tossed it. Later, retrieving it, I found a faint, childlike scrawl on the back: “Mommy and Daddy don’t love me.” Heartbroken, I questioned where we went wrong—we read to her nightly, always said we loved her. Confronting Miss A, she dismissed it as kids’ nonsense, but I pressed. My daughter revealed Miss A’s mean comments about their drawings, crushing their spirits. My husband, once bullied himself, was devastated. We met Miss A, who defended her shaming as “motivation.”
Frustrated, we rallied other parents, uncovering similar stories. Together, we wrote to the preschool director, who observed Miss A’s harsh methods, leading to her leave and new teacher training. Our daughter’s confidence bloomed; she began drawing joyfully again. At a school art show, her vibrant drawing shone, and she whispered, “I know you love me.” Months later, Miss A apologized, transformed by training. Our daughter, now thriving, dreams of teaching to uplift kids. That crumpled paper taught us to trust our instincts, listen to quiet cries, and advocate fiercely for our child’s happiness.
