Last Student Day--May 31, 2012
Rarely do I get positive feedback from students. Today, however, was different. During lunch a former student (graduated 9 years ago) stopped me in the hall--Violeta. She said she just wanted to say thank you to all her teachers for helping her. I recall her quite well, despite the years. She was focused, driven. Having arrived in American in 4th grade, she began her schooling at USC. During her senior year, she wrote a paper about her relatives and their journey from Mexico to the U.S. using a coyote. I still had a copy of that paper, one of those that stayed with me due to its content and skill of writing. Violeta shared that after taking senior English, she was a well prepared writer, her first essay at college composed of 36 pages. She said she's used the resume and career writing as well and time and again complimented me and my curriculum. Man that was incredible. As she left my classroom, she said to the sophomores there, "This is a great teacher. Take more classes from her. You'll learn." I was able to get my hands on a copy of that essay of hers from 2003 and gave it to her for her files. I wish her luck as she does an internship in Mexico.
The next rather unusual positive feedback happened at the end of 7th hr. Finishing our poetry unit with Dead Poets Society, we filled our writing folders with pieces of writing from the year. As students were filing out, one gal stopped and shoved a note into my hand. "Here, this is for you," she said. "Have a great summer!" Later I opened her typed page and read her amazing kudos. She recalled a day I'd stopped her, concerned about her after the foreign exchange student who'd lived at her house, had been forced to return to Germany. She wrote how much my concern had helped her face kids who were saying rotten things about her and her family. Then she also shared how much she appreciated my class and couldn't wait until she was a senior and could have me as a teacher again.
Wow; a great way to end the school year. Not one, but TWO incidents of gratitude. Almost makes me want to come back next year--haha!
The next rather unusual positive feedback happened at the end of 7th hr. Finishing our poetry unit with Dead Poets Society, we filled our writing folders with pieces of writing from the year. As students were filing out, one gal stopped and shoved a note into my hand. "Here, this is for you," she said. "Have a great summer!" Later I opened her typed page and read her amazing kudos. She recalled a day I'd stopped her, concerned about her after the foreign exchange student who'd lived at her house, had been forced to return to Germany. She wrote how much my concern had helped her face kids who were saying rotten things about her and her family. Then she also shared how much she appreciated my class and couldn't wait until she was a senior and could have me as a teacher again.
Wow; a great way to end the school year. Not one, but TWO incidents of gratitude. Almost makes me want to come back next year--haha!