education

Welcome back everyone!

The week that this post goes up is actually finals week at my school, so I will be getting through my sophomore year first semester finals as you’re reading this. During tough and stressful times in school, I can’t help but be thankful for the people who have helped me get this far in my education and shaped my view on how important learning is. A great deal of shaping myself into the student I am and aspire to be now happened in middle school, and I am so thankful for that. I’ve already posted a love letter to my high school teachers (that I’ve had so far) in the past, so make sure to check that out if you haven’t!

Middle school was a strange time in my life- it is for everyone. You’re starting to grow up and you think you’re grown up but you’re really not, school actually starts to get harder and you’re put on a track that you’re kind of expected to follow through the rest of your schooling career, and it’s your first taste of balancing multiple classes, a social life, and options for extracurriculars beyond recreational classes and sports teams through your local rec center. You don’t just have one teacher that is tasked with helping you through the day-you’re expected to ask for help.

I hated my middle school sometimes (the dress code was extremely strict and sexist), but I had amazing and helpful teachers (for the most part) that made those weird few years easier and even fun (sometimes). I actually did struggle through a few of my classes, but I’m glad I did- I ended up strengthening my study skills a lot and becoming a much better student which was a huge deal going into high school. Now that you have all this background on me, think back on your own middle school experiences, especially your classes/teachers, and how they impacted you. With that, here’s the letter I would write to my middle school and teachers.

To my middle school teachers and anyone else at the school,

Thank you so much for all your hard work. First of all, people don’t appreciate teachers enough. I could never do what you do, especially working with this extremely fickle and strange age group. You work to mold these kids into students that will be successful in high school and the other next steps in their life, and you made such a difference when it comes to me and my personal experiences as a student. I wouldn’t be where I am without you. Thank you for integrating so many different types of lesson plans and projects to keep us interested and always learning something new. Thank you for setting us up with knowledge we didn’t even know we would need again in our high school classes.

Thank you for giving it your best effort to make school fun with Friday lunch music in the quad, themed school dances with lights and DJs, special events for eighth graders, the trip to D.C. (aka the best trip of all time), and more. Thank you for actually making me feel at home at school. Thank you for having fun electives that allowed me to experience activities I never thought I would. A special thank you for having woodshop as an elective and giving me a second family to rant to that year. Thank you for making school fun again, and reminding me that I love to learn.

Thank you for making me struggle a little bit sometimes and forcing me to figure things out for myself, something I hadn’t always been able to do before. Even though it wasn’t actually that hard, it was hard at the time and it pushed me to be better. Thank you for helping me gain confidence in myself and realize that I could be successful as long as I put the work in. Thank you for having fun honors classes and having these opportunities to challenge myself, because it made me crave more challenging classes in high school. Thank you for beginning to put us on the long path of college prep and figuring out who we want to be in life, even though we obviously didn’t and still don’t have a clue.

Thank you for being you, and getting me through middle school. At the time, that was all that mattered.

I hope this reminds you of all the amazing work teachers do for the youth of today. Make sure to let your teachers know how thankful you are for all their help, teaching, and support. I’m so lucky to have had mostly amazing experiences with my teachers- I know not every person/school has that privilege.

Brooke

Hello everyone!

Today I am going to be giving credit where credit is due; this year so far and all of last year, I have had the most amazing teachers. I’d always had fairly good experiences with my teachers in my schooling experience, but I’ve been introduced to some of the smartest, funniest, and overall best teachers I’ve ever had since starting high school. I could never be a teacher myself and I don’t think I would want to be, but I have such a special place in my heart for these wonderful people who have dedicated their lives to educating our country’s youth. If you’re interested in my perspective on this topic or what I would like to say about my teachers, keep reading!

To all my teachers I’ve had in high school thus far,

Thank you so much for your service. Thank you for coming to school everyday just like us, and making an effort to entertain us, and to make the lessons more interesting. Thank you for not giving up when half of the class isn’t listening, or when our grades don’t reflect the work you’ve put into teaching us. Thank you for making us learn, if not from the physical work, but from the life lessons and other skills we gain from listening to you and communicating with you.

I can’t imagine doing your job. You work so hard, and I want you to know that even though we may not show it all the time, your students appreciate you a lot. We know you’re just as tired and worn down as we are by the end of a semester, and we know we give you a hard time- we’re working on it. We don’t want to disappoint you, and we feel bad when we do. Sometimes, I don’t think you realize how much. Also, know that we appreciate your efforts to make class fun. It doesn’t go unnoticed- I’d much rather listen to interesting stories and have a variety of lesson plans than do the same thing in class everyday.

Thank you for empathizing with us. I know you were once in our position, and it means a lot when you try to make things easier for us or can at least crack some jokes to lighten the mood when everyone’s stressed about their grades. Thank you for understanding that the general attitude of dislike towards school isn’t a personal attack on you- all of you are fascinating and brilliant people that I would love to learn more from. Thank you for understanding that there’s more than one type of student. We all learn differently, some of us are quieter or louder, and that’s okay.

Thank you for being accessible. I feel comfortable asking you questions and I’m so thankful that you have made time in class and after-class or during lunch to answer them. You’ve made it easier and more comfortable to ask for help, which I’ve always had trouble mustering up the courage to do in the past. Thank you for understanding that we’re just high-schoolers, and can’t be perfect. At the same time, thank you for holding us to a high standard, and forcing us to rise to your expectations.

Overall, thank you for doing what you do and making school more enjoyable. Your classes are hard, but they are rewarding, and I’ve learned so much from you. I’ve fallen back in love with learning since entering high school, so thank you for bringing out a better side of me and my intellect.

Brooke