GOODBYE LETTERS
In regards to teaching middle school, the thing I hear most often is, "I don't know how you put up with it." Really, I don't know how you put up with it, either, because I only put up with it on Thursdays and Fridays, and that includes a pretty substantial lunch break. Even so, I would be lying if I told you that the endless iterations on the theme Why Not to Throw Things and Instead Talk It Out didn't get a little tiresome. Not to mention wrangling topics like Why Not to Use Hateful Speech and Sometimes Poems Don't Have to Make Sense to Be Interesting. I tried so hard to be a positive presence, to get kids to talk about what they did and why it wasn't okay instead of straight-up punishing or alienating them, and this requires unbelievable reserves of patience. It's like taking the long way around when all you really want to do is the short cut: "If you tip your chair back, you could hurt yourself" instead of "Put your butt in the seat now, I'm not going to tell you again."
But today was my last day at the middle school, and now I know how you put up with it. The secret is mushy letters from students. I have a whole sheaf of them here, so let me paraphrase a few and show you what I'm talking about:
"I want you to know that I will miss you. I hope you have a good drive or flight. Stay the way you are don't get a crazy accent."
"You are one of the best teachers I have ever had. I don't want you to leave Midland. If you do I will cry my eyes out until I see you again. Well that's all for now."
"See ya later alligator. Love yuh want to see yuh, oo sugar honey ice tea."
"Thank you for teaching us about poems, jazz, and for just visiting with us."
"You were a great teacher and I learned a lot from you. I will miss you but we might meet again my mom lives in Austin, Texas."
"I like it when you sing."
"Remember when we ate sugar peas together cause they were tasty?"
"Remember when we ate all your food?"
"If you visualise Keisha ruinning toward the front of the classroom and tripping over a desk and falling to the ground and getting up laughing. Then you will remember our class."
"Ms. Smith this is Shaq I want you to remember me as the one who you thought had good poems but I didn't."
"It was a pleasure having you visit our schoolit was so fun especially having dance parties! You should be married by now you're 22 years old. I'm already married LOL. Well will you come back next year please?'
"You will remember me, Mallik, by my good luck charms and because I was your best poet."
Man oh man. I feel like I'm pulling myself out of the ring just when I was starting to understand how it works.
In regards to teaching middle school, the thing I hear most often is, "I don't know how you put up with it." Really, I don't know how you put up with it, either, because I only put up with it on Thursdays and Fridays, and that includes a pretty substantial lunch break. Even so, I would be lying if I told you that the endless iterations on the theme Why Not to Throw Things and Instead Talk It Out didn't get a little tiresome. Not to mention wrangling topics like Why Not to Use Hateful Speech and Sometimes Poems Don't Have to Make Sense to Be Interesting. I tried so hard to be a positive presence, to get kids to talk about what they did and why it wasn't okay instead of straight-up punishing or alienating them, and this requires unbelievable reserves of patience. It's like taking the long way around when all you really want to do is the short cut: "If you tip your chair back, you could hurt yourself" instead of "Put your butt in the seat now, I'm not going to tell you again."
But today was my last day at the middle school, and now I know how you put up with it. The secret is mushy letters from students. I have a whole sheaf of them here, so let me paraphrase a few and show you what I'm talking about:
"I want you to know that I will miss you. I hope you have a good drive or flight. Stay the way you are don't get a crazy accent."
"You are one of the best teachers I have ever had. I don't want you to leave Midland. If you do I will cry my eyes out until I see you again. Well that's all for now."
"See ya later alligator. Love yuh want to see yuh, oo sugar honey ice tea."
"Thank you for teaching us about poems, jazz, and for just visiting with us."
"You were a great teacher and I learned a lot from you. I will miss you but we might meet again my mom lives in Austin, Texas."
"I like it when you sing."
"Remember when we ate sugar peas together cause they were tasty?"
"Remember when we ate all your food?"
"If you visualise Keisha ruinning toward the front of the classroom and tripping over a desk and falling to the ground and getting up laughing. Then you will remember our class."
"Ms. Smith this is Shaq I want you to remember me as the one who you thought had good poems but I didn't."
"It was a pleasure having you visit our schoolit was so fun especially having dance parties! You should be married by now you're 22 years old. I'm already married LOL. Well will you come back next year please?'
"You will remember me, Mallik, by my good luck charms and because I was your best poet."
Man oh man. I feel like I'm pulling myself out of the ring just when I was starting to understand how it works.
