To My Students: Thank You.

I have been absent from the blogosphere for a while (I know: you have been suffering whether you realized it or not, obviously), but I have had numerous idea floating in the draft stage for much of the fall. I felt that today, in the afterglow of Thanksgiving, I would try to smooth out a couple of these rough ideas and share.

In the spirit of the season, I want to say “Thank You!”  I have innumerable people who deserve to hear that, and I have to do a better job in telling the people in my life that. I don’t want this to take on an Oscars air with the sound of your browsers closing in place of the play-off music, so I won’t go through a list here. I’ll work to make those personal. Instead, here today, I want to say “Thank You!” to my students. At times, you frustrate me, but so often, you tend to amaze me, and sometimes I take that for granted.

Thank you for making me look at the world in a new way or from a new angle. This weekend, I was grading Fahrenheit 451 projects, and some of you blew me away. You created artwork, wrote poetry, composed original music, expanded analysis, and developed ideas beyond what we had discussed in class. Some of you took our discussions about Mildred, a character for whom I have never held anything but contempt, and wrote prequels that created scenarios to explain how Mildred deserves our sympathy, empathy, and understanding. You created a world that could easily evolve into the one Bradbury created, but saw it through a young woman’s eyes as she suffered hardship and trauma. One of you included details you learned from researching how lack of communication can lead to difficulties in marriage. Another began your tale with an innocent little girl who had her world torn apart, and turned inward in order to survive. Another of you told me a story of sister whose brother fell into the desperate pit of addiction and hopelessness, which led to her own downfall. Thank you for offering these fresh views into a classic that I had read one way, only for you to flip that view on its head, not with immature arguments based purely on a desire to be right but with sincere examination and heartfelt desire to ask “what if?” in a way Bradbury would have to respect. You have taken the ideas beyond the text, moved so far beyond the novel we studied. This is just one example, and there are many more as you push me to see things differently so often.

I want to say “Thank You!” to you for reminding me in so many ways why I became a teacher. You make me laugh throughout each day, struggle to hold back tears more that I should, and swell up with pride more often than you know.  I have been able to watch some of you grow up from the time you were in kindergarten. You have become incredible human beings, and your work ethic, determination, and perseverance are inspirational. Your talent and abilities truly amaze me at times. Your intelligence and willingness to reach higher is impressive.  However, perhaps the most incredible acts are those that may seem simple and random, but demonstrate that maybe, no, definitely,, our world is not headed in such a bad direction after all. I am proud of you as you reach out to show appreciation to people in our community, even though no one would think twice if you didn’t. I am inspired by little gestures you do even when you think no one is watching, simply because you want to brighten someone else’s day. I am lifted up by your desire to change the world, starting now and here, in our little corner of it, because that is where you know you can make an impact.

I want to say “Thank You” for your bravery. You put yourself out there in ways that show a determination that I sometimes envy. For some of you, it is risking failure and trying something new. That is hard sometimes, especially when you have always wanted to do it “right” and are now taking risks to truly learn and grow. Some of you show up every day, which is an act of courage in itself for some people. Some of you put yourselves out there on a daily basis, opening yourselves up for admiration, recognition, and applause, sure, but also for criticism and ridicule, and that takes guts. Our world is better because of your bravery, even on the days when it doesn’t seem like it is worth it.

As I said, my list of individuals whom I need to thank stretches miles, and I can never truly do any of you justice. I could continue on, page after page, with all of the ways I am thankful. So, in the smallest way, I start here, to the young people in my life now and who have moved through my life over the years and are now not-so-young people who continue to make the world better: Sincerely, thank you.