From a TFA exercise...

"Imagine that it is the end of your first year teaching, and all of your students and their families write you a letter expressing their opinions, reflections, and feelings. What do you hope your students and their families say? Why?"


At the end of my first year of teaching, I hope that my students and their families will say that they appreciated my relentless work. That they felt welcomed and safe to express themselves. That they felt encouraged and inspired to try to their hardest. That they felt they had the help and the support from me to be successful, but more so that they realized that they were developing the skills within themselves to help them succeed. I hope at the end of the year my students say that they enjoyed my class but more so that they tried harder than they ever had or thought they would, that they learned more than they expected, and they discovered that they are capable and talented and smart and that what they have to say is valued. I hope that their families say that I communicated well, that they felt in the know about their children’s education and their standing in my class, that they appreciated the ways in which I tried to become involved in the community and get to know them. I hope they will say that they are thankful that I came. That I inspired their children not only to dream big dreams but also to feel that they can accomplish them. I hope their families say that my students worked hard on my homework but also that my students felt that they had access to the help they needed from me. I hope that at the end of the year my students say they wish they could take my class again. I hope my students say that they believe they could go to college someday if they choose. I hope my students say that I made their every day a little better because my class was a place to be challenged, to be heard, to learn, and to be encouraged. I hope that my students say that they have a love of learning. That they have a love of reading and of writing. I hope my students say that they are inspired to write more, for themselves, for the joy of it, for dreaming, for clarity, for communicating. I hope their families say that I taught my students invaluable skills for their future. I hope my students say that they can’t wait to learn more, they can’t wait to read more and write more. I hope my students say that they see what I was talking about, that they listened to my lesson and now they look around and they see what I meant and they understand and that they feel empowered by that. I hope my students say that I helped change their minds in a positive way, about themselves, about their community, about each other, about school, about writing, about literature. I hope my students say I was tough, not in an intimidating way but in a way that let them know that I would stand for any crap, that I was going to hold them to high standards. I hope my students say that they now think of themselves as scholars and that they feel motivated to do well in all subjects, not just mine. That they believe they can succeed academically. I hope my students will say thank you for demanding that we be our best, thank you for demanding that we behave, thank you for letting us not getting away with crap or pushing you around. I hope my students say that they feel better about themselves. I hope my students say that they feel like more opportunities are open to them, that they know resources they can access for help or answers, that they aren’t afraid to ask for help or to make mistakes, that they realize that there is always a way to improve. I hope they say that they understand writing as a process and that knowing that allows them to see their growth and to be willing to make the first try on the first draft. I hope my students say that they feel excited about life. I hope their families say that now that they’ve seen how these kids can succeed, they’ll never expect or accept anything less. That high standards can not be lowered. I hope my students say that they envision writing becoming a part of their lives and that they feel confident that they will continue to improve their writing. I hope my students say that they have learned how to work efficiently, how to set goals and work hard for them, how to track progress, how to keep up the energy. I hope their families say that they would love to have me over for dinner. I hope they say that my Spanish is getting better and it’s great to see how I try to learn.

Because that would mean I made a difference. Because that would mean I was effective. Because it would mean that I got through to them, that I inspired them, that I taught them the skills they need to keep learning, keep growing, keep improving, without me as their teacher. Because that would mean that I really did try to get involved, that I really did make them feel welcome, that I really did make the efforts that I don’t know how to make. Because that would mean that I learned and grew and became prepared and kept learning and revising. Because that would mean that the changes I helped implement keep going. That the spark I helped ignite keeps burning. Because that would mean that I gave back to them what was given to me – hope at times when I was down and discouraged, confidence in my abilities to succeed when I really wanted to believe, success (that was earned? that was not just given to me?), a love of learning, a love of stories and an access to the power of knowledge and the power of education. Because that would mean that I helped give them more cultural capitol. That they are maybe a little more able to be as competitive as their more resourced peers for scholarships, for admission, for jobs. Because that would mean that I maybe helped them close their achievement gap. Because that would mean that what I sacrificed was worth it.