A Letter to My Students

"Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all."

-Aristotle

As the year comes to a close and as we go our separate ways, I want to take a moment to reflect on the quality of education I hope I have provided you, Dear Students.  And for you I have a few questions:

Did I take the time you needed to get to know you as people, to understand what makes you tick, your interests, your abilities, your learning styles?

Did I respond to your needs, help you feel welcomed and appreciated, show you how special you truly are?

Did I provide the kind of instruction that resonated with you, challenge you, guide you to ask questions about the world around you, and encourage you to become lifelong learners?

Did I instruct you in how to peaceably interact with others, to effectively identify and solve your own problems, to navigate the tumultuous waters of middle school social life?

Did I empower you, teach you about your history, your self-worth, and allow space for you to construct your own identities?

Did I guide you to develop your skills, discover hidden talents, and teach you how to overcome your weaknesses?

Did I interact with you on a personal as well as professional level, using language that resonated with you, and demeanor that made you feel safe and respected?

Did I give you useful feedback, timely and appropriate to help you improve in your learning?

Did I engage you in collaborative and individual tasks, help you establish group norms and expectations, and build scaffolds to help you get to the end of your projects?

Did I laud your accomplishments, consistently and creatively, and inform others about the high-quality work you were completing in my class?

Did I work effectively with other teachers, adults, and community members so that you would see yourself reflected in your work and across disciplines?

Most importantly, was I there enough for you, to answer questions, to lend a helping hand, or to listen when you needed someone?

I hope, Dear Students, that I have accomplished these tasks, because if I have failed in even one of them, I have in some ways failed you as your teacher.  As you know, we are not perfect people, and so it is with great determination that I return to summer with these questions in mind.  I will do my best to take a break, clear my head, and make room to be inspired to plan for your learning in the fall and beyond.  I am committed to learning how to be a better teacher myself and building my repertoire of instructional materials, and I will return in the fall ready to be the best teacher I can be for you.

Thank you for trusting me to build you up and to prepare you for the world around you.  It sure can be a scary place, but I know that you are all capable, bright young people who will rise to the challenge of making it what you want it to be.

Much Love,

Ms.