To My Students

I will meet about 40 new students this week!

Dear Students,

I haven't met you yet, but I have prepared to teach you for years. I'm excited for this semester. I probably won't be able to sleep the night before we meet. I never can, 10 years after getting my teaching certificate.

My mind overflows with ideas for readings, activities, and discussions. I want to show you how literature connects the world; everything from societal ills to economic struggles, human triumph to engineering feats - stories hold history lessons, which can then be guides for the future. I want to examine how to manipulate the written word in writing and speech. I want to study the craft that is language arts.

I also want to learn fun and interesting intricacies about you. I want you to share your life with me through writing and connect it to literature. I promise to provide plenty of examples of how literature connects to me.

You will learn that I drink lots of coffee.

I never stop thinking about education and how to influence yours the best I can. The more I learn about teaching, leadership - the monster named education - the more I realize all these outside factors influence you, heavily. More than I can. More than you may want them to weigh on you. More than you may even know.

So I propose that we go into this school year together. I promise to teach you the best I can. I hope you promise to learn the best that you can. If you have those outside influences weighing on you, let me know. Maybe I can help, maybe I can find someone to help you. I will at least try to understand.

I hope that you leave my class believing you got a fair deal - that we worked, but that the workload and your treatment was fair. I will do the best that I can everyday, and I hope you do as well.

Sincerely,

Mrs. M.

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