April 25, 2012
Dear Ms. H,
It has been a hectic semester, full of laughter and tears.
Someday, perhaps as you retire, you will read this letter and remember the
successes you had from your first true experience as a teacher. You called
teaching a “late life epiphany.” I hope you always remember that you believed
you were called to be a teacher. That is was never about money but about
impacting children’s lives in a positive way. In case you have forgotten here
are some things that you did right this semester:
- You effectively planned and taught a comprehensive novel study on The Lightning Thief. And that was the easy part!
- You're a reflective practitioner, always thinking of ways to improve the lesson and assessing whether the kids are understanding what you want out of them.
- You made connections with your students that allowed them to trust you and to behave well for you.
- You made a conscious choice to keep students in class, and their behavior improved.
- You enjoyed teaching each and every student, the easy and the challenging ones. And you did not let the attitude of those around you influence you in a negative way. Each and every day the kids had a clean slate and you expected their best and got it!
Perhaps if you think back there
might have been one or two things you might have done differently. Even though
you were only student teaching, making the classroom your own would have
helped. Not in how it looked but how you behaved in it. They were your students.
Taking them in the hall and talking to them for a correction should have been
the first thing you did differently.
Looking back, in order to
better prepare for teaching English, you probably should have taken more
literature classes and…yes, a creative writing course. I know, I know, you have
always thought of yourself as a less than competent writer. So, it probably
would have done you good to actually take a class on writing. I know you were
afraid because as an adult you love to get A’s. But you should have stepped
outside your comfort zone and just gone for it. You probably would have done
just fine.
The main thing Ms. H, you don’t
give yourself enough credit. You can teach the big, tough subjects and you
do them well. I hope that as you look back on your teaching career you still
have your rose colored glasses on and still believe that all kids can learn.
And most importantly that you still like teaching kids! There are, after all,
only kids. Guide and direct them. Teach them to love learning. Let them know
you care about them!
Sincerely,
Me!
