Jennifer Garner has penned a heartwarming tribute to teachers following her son Samuel’s graduation.
The 13 Going on 30 star, 52, took to Instagram on Thursday 13 June to share her gratitude to her children’s teachers as her three kids move “from one phase to the next”. In the letter, Garner praised them for being her family’s “safe haven” over the last 13 years.
“Dearest Teachers,” she began the note. “Thank you for caring about my children with me, for tying their shoes and holding their hands. Thank you for disciplining my kids when they’ve needed it and for offering more hugs than some children received in a lifetime. Thank you for all of the hard work that goes into having high expectations, for buckling down and teaching them the discomfort and joy of tolerating frustration toward a greater good.”
The Love, Simon star applauded educators for pursuing a career in teaching and “for doing your jobs with your whole heart.”. While she acknowledged the difficulties and frustrations of managing an entire classroom, Garner said there’s nothing “more noble than teaching children”.
“Thank you for being a safe haven for my family; the world is a lot for anyone and so many children struggle with real loss and hardship that it feels selfish to want more for kids who have so much,” she continued. “But I wanted my three to have a safe space where they could focus on the business of being little, and where education and character were prioritized.”
The Valentine’s Day actor also commended her children’s teachers for dressing up for Halloween, playing hockey with her kids at lunchtime, helping them work on their art projects and performances, and teaching them how to spot countries on a globe.
“Thank you for a beautiful thirteen years. I cannot imagine our family landing anywhere better,” Garner said, before signing off her letter: “With deep respect and endless gratitude, Jen.”
In her caption, Garner emphasized her gratitude toward her children’s teachers “at the end of 13 years together”, and congratulated all parents with kids who are “moving from one phase to the next”.
Garner shares three children – Violet, 18, Fin, 15, and Samuel, 12 – with ex-husband Ben Affleck. Her heartfelt letter comes after she was spotted attending her son’s graduation party at Affleck’s rental home in Brentwood, California, amid rumors of divorce between the Gone Girl actor and his wife, Jennifer Lopez. The “On the Floor” singer was also seen at the celebration, according to Page Six, following reports that she and Affleck have listed their shared $60m home on the market.
Last May, Garner shared photos of herself getting emotional at her daughter Violet’s high school graduation ceremony. The Alias star posted several teary-eyed snaps, as well as a video of herself sitting on a plane and wiping away her tears with a tissue.
“Tell me you have a graduate without telling me you have a graduate,” she captioned the post, adding: “Bless our hearts.”
Just days later, the mother of three held a graduation party for her 18-year-old daughter at her Los Angeles home, where both Affleck and Lopez were also in attendance. The couple, who were married in 2022, reunited for his daughter’s graduation party after reportedly taking time apart from one another.
“Jen and Ben are continuing to take space from each other. They’ve been having issues for a few months and trying to figure things out on their own,” a source told Entertainment Tonight.
Rumors of a rift between the pair – who rekindled their romance in 2021, nearly two decades after calling off their first engagement – began circulating after fans noticed that Affleck and Lopez hadn’t been photographed together in more than 40 days.
Most recently, she shut down a reporter who had asked her about the divorce rumors during a press conference for her Netflix film, Atlas, in Mexico City.
Simu Liu, her Atlas co-star, immediately interjected: “OK, we’re not doing that. Thank you so much guys, we really appreciate it. Thank you.”
“Don’t come in with that energy please,” he added, while Lopez chimed in: “You know better than that.”
