Dear
James*,
Thank
you for walking in late to class. This may seem like a strange thing to thank
you for, especially because day in, day out you stroll in late as if you have
no care in the world.
But this
day, this day it was different. This day the class was handing in their first
reading questions and because you were late, yours was on the top of my stack I
collected.
I don’t
really believe in signs. Do you?
But I
can’t shake the feeling that your paper was supposed to be on the top of my stack. It was as if I was destined to read it. Strapped for time, since I have
to leave after your class most days, I could only read one of them. Guess whose
I read?
That’s
right, James. I read yours. Yours, because you walked in late and you were the
last to hand in your assignment.
I know
reading A Long Way Gone may not be
fun, especially in the first weeks of class. It’s a tough subject matter. It
hurts because it’s real and it’s about things happening in the world that most
of us wish we could stop.
In your
reaction to the first five chapters you wrote something that really moved me.
You said,
“Personal I wasn’t going to read the book, I don’t like reading. But I picked
it up for some reason. As I began to read I relized that the Boys where like me
and my friend when we were young, singing, rapping, and making groups. Then the
whole thing changed I relized that these boys could have been us running for
our lives. I’ve already created a relationship with the boy’s and I’m intrigued
to find out whats going to happen to them, and what challenges there going to
face.”
Sure,
this is filled with spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, but I can look
past that because your content is what stood out to me. You weren’t going to
read; that doesn’t shock me. I feel like my biggest challenge as an English
teacher will be getting students to actually do the reading. But after you actually picked up the book,
you saw yourself, you saw your friends.
That’s
what books can do for you. Representation. A Learning Experience. You see
yourself and situations you are going through, or like with A Long Way Gone, you see what could have
easily been your life had you been born in a different country or time or
place. You have empathy for Beah, something as an English teacher I want all of
my students to develop.
Your
response showed me that even the most reluctant readers can find the good in
books or the message or even just pleasure in the reading. You showed me that
finding the right book is important so I can get more responses like yours that
really touched me.
Maybe
your peers wrote similar responses, maybe they all wrote a standard reaction
that summarized the chapters and didn’t look into their own lives in relation
to Beah’s. I don’t know. What I do know is that the world decided I would read
your response, and your response is what I needed, I think.
I needed
to see how my students can be touched by what they do in my class. I
needed to see that a book can go a long way. I needed to see your answer. So
thank you.
I
appreciate you so much,
Ms. Kope
*name was changed
I loved reading this letter, because this is something that all teachers are looking for in their students. A sign that they are listening, that they are doing the work and that they care. Hearing stories like this one give me hope and encouragement for the students that we are trying desperately day after day to reach.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like ever since I started my journey through teaching, I have heard all of the negatives associated with this student or that student, warnings about him and cautions about her and I have to ask myself over and over again, are their teachers listening? Yes, every student is going to be different and there will be those students who may seem uninterested or unmotivated, but then you hear stories like yours and you realize that these students are just trying to find something solid, something to help them feel comfortable and understand what their purpose is. It's funny how we tend to write about the students who are "less than the average", but I guess those tend to be the students and the stories that make teaching so rewarding.
Thank you for sharing and I look forward to following your teaching journey.
Dear Kimberly,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your letter with us. I enjoyed hearing about your discovery of James as a reader. This letter gave me hope that just because there is a student(s) in my class that seem to be absent from the class and/or discussions, that they are understanding, and they can produce quality work when I or others may doubt their ability. I am looking forward to continue to see where this teaching journey takes you, keep up the great work.
Kimberly,
ReplyDeleteYour story moved me. It is such a powerful and raw recollection of this moment in your teaching journey! This really reminds me that even our students who seem less engaged and less motivated are still students who (maybe deep down) want to learn. Our students have deep thoughts of what we are learning and because they may seem disengaged we think they may not be interested or value what they are learning. This is my favorite moment in your letter, "I needed to see how my students can be touched by what they do in my class. I needed to see that a book can go a long way." I think this is a great reminder to teachers everywhere that sometimes we feel like we are not getting through to students but that if we are teaching something we are passionate about or teaching in interesting ways then we can make students passionate about it as well. Students are in the process of growing in our classrooms and we need to push them to constantly think and process information no matter how disengaged they are. Thanks for sharing this with us Kimberly!
Kimberly,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing, I think we all need to "see" a moment when it "clicks" with a student and they really connect with what we are trying to teach them. I think it's even more important when it is a student that we are struggling to connect with, things like this really encourage us all not to give up hope.
Kimberly,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this letter! I love getting to read about "aha" moments students have. Your student also seems surprised that he has gained something from this novel. He has not only read it but can picture himself and his friends in it! I feel like in can be hard as teachers to connect with the students who are always running late to class because we do not like that they are not following rules. I think you were right that it was a sign that his paper ended up on top of the pile. I cannot wait to hear more about this student progressing further in your classroom. Thank you again for sharing!