To My Amazing Students: Past, Present, and Future,
Whether this is hello again or for the first time I want each of you to know that you have, are, or will impact my life in a wonderful way. With that said, I am writing to you so that you may come to understand the person who cares so much about what she does which is teach, in every sense of the word. Various parts of this letter will be dedicated to different groups. To begin I will address those I have taught, then my current students, and finally my future students. I truly hope after reading this, each of you will know where I am coming from and have an appreciation for decisions I have made regarding your life and others based on being a student of mine.
It’s astonishing because as a kid you never think that your teacher will always remember you. At least I never realized that. I figured each year they got a new class and therefore built new relationships that replaced the old ones. Little did I know that if my teachers were anything like me, not only did they remember but, they took what they learned from their students with them forever. This is what you have done for me. As many of you know this by now, I love to tell stories so in order to give you a grasp about who I am as a teacher and how I came to be this way, that is just what I shall do.
There is this magical thing that happens when someone learns something. Some say it is a light bulb that turns on in your mind. Well, I always envisioned it as a sense of enlightenment where you now know something you didn’t before. It makes you feel complete. The first time I caused someone else to experience this, I knew my calling was to be a teacher and this was at seven years old. I always had friends come over and play in my basement. We would play board games, Barbies, and house. The funny thing about playing house is that my idea was always to have my friend play the student and I play the teacher, so I guess you could say we were playing school. I would write on a chalkboard I had and make worksheets for my friends to complete. I am sure they rather have done anything else, but my memory of this resembles all parties enjoying it. On one occasion of playing house or school, I made a worksheet with addition problems. The problem was that my friend was a grade below me and she didn’t know how to add two digit numbers quite yet. I had learned how to regroup and carry the tens place over that year in school and was eager to show her. We went over several problems and then it happened. She got her “aha” moment! My friend got to that point where she understood what she had learned and was eager to try it on her own. The feelings of satisfaction I had gotten from teaching her that concept were truly rewarding. I have always been one to want to help others, but this was different. This wasn’t simply picking up a pencil, cheering her up, or holding the door for her. I had taught her something she didn’t know how to do and it felt great. I will never forget what that felt like and each time I taught you something knew, I want you to know that I felt those same feelings of excitement. Watching you get your “aha” moment was more of a gift than any picture or special note you could have written, although, those were always wonderful too. I hope this gives you an idea of who I have always been even before I officially became a teacher.
To my Spartans, typing that name seems silly but it portrays what we are, which is a team. There is no other way to describe us. We have our wins and our losses. We have pregame pep talks and post game reflections. We compete against ourselves and other classes. But we aren’t just a team, but a winning team. To me our days together are the games and if I had to say what kind of statics our record would show, it would be a winning one. The reason why I choose the word team is because that what teaching and learning looks like to me. When we learn new concepts and master those concepts, we are winning. When we follow directions and exemplify positive attitudes, we are winning. Even when we reflect on what didn’t go well during the day, we are winning because we are learning what we need to do better for the future. I view myself as your coach and one who pushes you to come up with the answers on your own which is why when I call on you I don’t let you pass the ball or simply quit. I coach you and then you come up with it all on your own. That, to me, is a winning team.
Similarly to teams, we have so much to look forward too. I have gorwn fond of our Reading Challenges. The looks of excitement on your faces when you passed your goals and we earned a trip to Michigan State University was one of my favorite days and I look forward to that day we will have. Everyday we are earning something as you have discovered. This is because I think it si important to always be looking forward to what lies next. The feeling of knowing we worked for something and get to celebrate it never dies with this format. Your biweekly drawings are an indication of this for positive behavior. Don’t forget the fact that we track our wins, ties, and losses as a method for earning a celebration. I want you to know that in life, no matter the situation, there is always something to look forward to if you allow it.
When thinking of my future students, it automatically makes me think of the past and present. If it weren’t for my past and present students, I would not become the person I will be to you later in life. For some things I will need to change and others may just need simple tweaking. I have also learned things about myself that have helped me learn my students which will help me with you in the future. I thrive on positivity and have realized so do my students. If I am stressed or upset at a situation I need positive outlooks to get me out of that mentality. Everyone has life experiences that are going to effect how he or she is in the classroom. I could get in an argument with my significant other, hear terrible news, or just be exhausted and seeing my students thinking positive helps me to not dwell on those things. I need to take this knowledge of myself and incorporate it with my future students. I have had students with many obstacles preventing them from achieving their personal best and I should have taken that into consideration and used it as a tool to gear them in positive directions. I can’t expect a student whom is always alone and just had a major transitional life period and expect them to want to practice math problems. I can and will however, let my future students feel supported, encouraged, and not alone and aid in supporting them while they practice those math problems. I am vulnerable as will be my students so I need to allow for positive classroom relationships even when it seems impossible because then learning will occur. I am a very goal oriented person and the more I reflect on this, the more I believe so are most people. I will always provide goals for you so that you are always moving forward to your next “aha” moment. I want you to feel how intelligent you are. I want you to value what an education can do for you. I have always and will always have members of the community come to visit and share their life experiences because I want you to know what is out there. I want you to know and feel that you can truly be whomever you want to me. As cliché as that sounds, it is the truth and I will show you that.
Lastly, I want all of you to know, my past, present, and future students, that I have always reflected on my practices with you. Did I make the right decision, how will this effect him/her, are they truly understanding the concept, how will this impact their future, are all a sample of questions that I have always asked myself and will always continue to do so. You need to know this because you should also do the same. Maybe not ask yourself those same questions, but reflect. It is an important process to better oneself and I think teaching is helping others be better. Whether it be emotionally, academically, spiritually, or in another way. Never settle for what is, but strive for what could be. You are your best advocate, and I am so lucky to be a coach cheering you on always as you venture throughout life. Until next time.
Yours Truly,
Miss Dennings
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