Some teachers get it, and some don't. I'm talking about having a vegetarian student in their classroom. Last year my son's teacher didn't really get it and I can't say she made much of an effort to ever understand it. But this year, boy have we gotten lucky. His teacher this year has been fabulous. She so "gets it" that I wish she could move up to the next grade at the end of this one so she can remain his teacher next year, too!

There have been many things that have happened so far this year that let me know she gets it. First of all, she told me right from the start that she understood it. She has a vegan friend and so it's not all unfamiliar to her. She has been wonderful about looking out for ingredients in snacks and things that they are doing in the classroom. At Thanksgiving she had my son share with the class what he eats for his holiday meal since he is a vegetarian. She wanted the other kids to realize that people are different and celebrate differently. Around the holidays they also did a "how to cook a turkey" writing assignment, but she changed his to "how to make mashed potatoes," because he said that's what he likes in his holiday meal.

Today she did it again! This week at school they are celebrating Dr. Seuss week. So the first grade classes were going to be cooking green eggs and ham (cooking it in the classroom as part of the lesson). She told me that her class would not be participating in this. She said she thought about it and came to the conclusion that it would make my son uncomfortable to sit in the classroom with eggs and ham cooking. She said he would be subjected to the smells, watching it cook, kids talking about it and eating it after it cooked, etc. So she skipped that part of the Dr. Seuss lesson. I hugged her after she told me that!

This teacher gets it! Oh how I wish more did. It may be hit or miss in the coming years, but I'm sure loving him having her as his teacher this year. Two thumbs way up for those teachers who try to get the fact that they have a vegetarian or vegan child in their classroom. From veg parents eveywhere, we thank you!

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." - Dr. Seuss