6.10.2009

Happiness Is

This:

"I’m just a student I don’t think I have any good advice to give you but not to change. You are the coolest teacher I have ever had. You are so funny and happy all the time and you being happy always make me happy. You really care about your students and you invest in them making sure they do their best. You try and learn something new about everyone every day. You care enough to want to talk make their life and day better than it was. Those traits make a great teacher, that’s what you are, most definitely.

THANK YOU! I couldn’t have asked for a better year, I’m glad I wasn’t put in advanced language otherwise I wouldn’t have you as a teacher. I wouldn’t have had the experience of having a favorite teacher. We always do new and unique things in your class, it’s never boring. I wish you could be my teacher next year. I feel like I can talk to you about anything and you would understand. I hope you have fun at [our school]. I know I did."

Sorry. Some things are too good to keep to myself.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

They show an excellent critical eye for talent and dedication. Happy for your victories but not one bit surprised. These kids know they have it great, you can hear it. 14 days to go here !!!

Amanda Villagómez said...

Wow, that sums it up. It makes me want to go observe in your classroom! Great job on a successful 1st year!

Ms. X said...

Oh man...I really want to have my kids write some kind of reflection like that, but I'm way too afraid of what most of them will say. I don't know how many "I hate you"s I can handle in June.

Anonymous said...

Mine would say You should be a comedian or a cartoon drawer...Or something useful right ? I always add. Yeah, um. No not like that...But if I was I would never have met you I tell them !!!

teach people not books said...

disclaimer: there were plenty of letters to me that said stuff like "be stricter" or "we never finished that writing unit" or "don't read aloud so much--it's easier for me to read by myself."

that said, what's most important to me is that i made some sort of lasting impact on who they will become. even if it was the slightest sliver of an impact.

r/m-- and now i'm starting to question whether i need to be working someplace where the kids don't have plenty of positive role models at home. deep respect for what you do.

v-- plenty of things i've yet to learn, but i'm happy to have confirmation of at least hearing the messages i've tried to get across all year.

x-- dude they f'ing love you. you know it. you're the best thing that ever happened to those kids.

r/m-- i'll never forget, from the mouths of babes: "but don't people who graduate at the head of their class go on to be doctors and lawyers?"

Eamonn Crowley said...

They do have a point on the MD and JD angle Ms. K. If I could do math I would have loved to be an MD. If I had no soul I would have loved the JD. You know I love the lawyers, seriously.You had to go be Miss Smarty Pants and throw a wrench into everyone's nice, neat profiling job ... You know better than anyone after this year that affluent kids can use positive role models just as much as poor kids, they've still got to be kids and negotiate that path whether its in fubu or abercrombie !

Meg said...

That's so sweet! It must make it so worthwhile to know you have such a positive impact on students (even those with constructive criticism)!