Dear students,
After finally having a chance to sit down and read your advice to the incoming seventh graders and your responses to the "#iwishmyteacherknew" prompt, I am incredibly humbled by all of your kind words. What you all don't understand is the impact that
you have had on
me these last two years.
Two years ago, I took a leap of faith, moved away from a life I had established for myself and took a teaching position with a district I knew very little about. I hit the ground running that fall, hoping to meet all of the standards set out for me by the state, and hopefully impart a little worldly wisdom somewhere along the way. Little did I know that it would be my students imparting worldly wisdom on me.
From you all, I've learned to see the good in every day. On those days when I'm frustrated because of things beyond your (and my) control,
you are the reason I walked in the doors with a smile on my face. I've learned to roll with the punches. You've asked questions I wasn't prepared for, made comments that caught me off guard, and kept me on my toes in many ways, but through your willingness to let me fumble every now and then, I've learned that it's okay to not have the answers or to lose my footing from time to time. I've learned that sometimes you need to be silly. When we feel beat down by testing or stressed out by essays and snow days and exams, sometimes you just need to laugh -- whether that means a rap battle, a fierce battle of trivia on Kahoot!, dressing someone up in fairy wings and a donkey mask, or simply letting you guys share your stories and having a good belly laugh.
Most importantly, I've learned that it's you guys who make me want to be a teacher. One class period asked me why I wanted to become a teacher and my answer is always the same -- I don't know why, I just know that it's something I've always wanted to do, even before I started kindergarten. But after these last two years, I think I finally have my answer -- it's because of the students. It's because I love watching you guys grow from timid 7th graders, afraid to raise your hands or ask a question, to 8th graders who could read a short story a lead a discussion amongst yourselves without any guidance from me. It's because I love seeing students who refused to get in front of the class on day one perform monologue in front of the class the next year. It's because I love working with students who come in the morning and after school to study and to retake tests over and over and over until they get the perfect score. It's because I can't describe in words how it feels to see the lightbulb go off in your heads when you finally realized that the E in RACERS meant explaining the example in your own words or when you realized that the poem you thought was about Mount Vesuvius was really about a Grecian urn. There have been so many incredible experiences that I've experienced with you in the last two years that I can't even imagine listing them all.
Just know that you have impacted my life beyond measure -- I will never forget the lessons you have taught me.
So, my little birds, it's time to leave the nest and enter the big world of freshman year. You're in capable hands, trust me. I cannot wait to see all of the wonderful things you accomplish throughout the next four years and please know that my door is always open.
Love,
Mama Frank
