Dear 2019-2020 Educators,
This past weekend I received a Facebook message from a former student. She was one of over 100 students I taught in sixth grade at the Canandaigua Middle School, in upstate New York, in my first full year of teaching during the 1994-1995 school year. She shared a note I wrote in her scrapbook. It wasn't fancy, just a simple note that read:
"You've had a terrific year in reading and language arts!
Hold on to those dreams of being a teacher. I'll miss you."
Twenty-five years later, she thanked me for writing that brief note. It was incredible to hear from her. She shared that middle school was not a good time for her at home, so those three sentences of encouragement were very appreciated.
Truth be told, she was easy to encourage. She was kind and hard working. The best part, she IS a teacher now and has been for 14 years. This young woman is the teacher she dreamed of becoming as a sixth grader. And she thought enough of our time together in 1995 to let me know.
The 2019-2020 school year is concluding or has already concluded, whether you worked in a P-12 setting or on a college campus. Sure, your students will remember COVID-19 but, more importantly, they will remember how you helped them through this time — that you encouraged them to keep going, that you were "there" when things weren't good at home, that you cared and that you showed up each and every day.
They will remember that you showed them that their lives matter.
You will be remembered.
Your career as an educator matters, and you matter in the lives of your students.
So when you are feeling down or feeling burned out, be prepared for that one day, when you least expect it, when one of your students may reach out to you and share a little note you wrote. It may not seem like a big deal but to that child it may mean the world.
Thank you for shepherding your students through this unprecedented year.
What students will remember about the 2019-2020 school year won't be the computers, iPads or packets. They will remember you and how much you cared for them and were there for them when they needed you most.
With gratitude,
Jolene
