A Thanksgiving Thought

One of my teachers sent the following email to our staff yesterday.  The subject line of the email was: "A Thanksgiving Thought."  With his permission, I am posting it below in its entirety:

"I want to share a comment that was made to me today.  It could be both good and sad.  A student asked me how my day was going and I said, "Great!  How is your day going?"  She said, "Okay, but it is sad."  I asked her why it was sad and she said that today was the last day of school this week and she really loves it here.  She said she would rather be here than home.  Those words really made a big impression on me.  I thought about how I am so excited to go home and have a few days off to be with my family.  I thought that maybe she just loves TSGC that much or maybe she doesn’t want to be at home because it isn’t that great.  Whatever the case, the fact that she loves our school means a lot to me.  No matter how frustrated we are and think, “These kids are out of control today and I just can’t wait for the end of 8^th period to get here!!”, there are some of our students that aren’t that excited about it.  We never know what they are going home to and sometimes we probably don’t really want to know some of the things these kids are going through. I couldn’t imagine not looking forward to going home for Thanksgiving break because my home was full of love and it was my safe place.  I say this as encouragement to all of us that we do make a difference and these students are worth it.  We may be the only smile they get today.  I know I am not the best teacher at times and can be negative when I shouldn’t be, but I also know that I am in this because I truly care about these kids.  I am thankful that I have the opportunity to make a difference in their lives and I hope that it is always a positive difference. Although some students may be disrespectful, some may seem not to care, some may get on our nerves, and some may never stop talking…What we do in the classroom today makes a difference in the world tomorrow.  Have a Happy Thanksgiving and give your students a smile and some words of encouragement today.

Thanks,

Greg Ragland

P.S.

I apologize for any bad grammar or run on sentences and everything else that is written incorrectly."

There's not much I can add to this.  We all have much to be grateful for.  One of the things I'm grateful for... is having colleagues like Greg Ragland... colleagues who are committed to making a difference for kids.  

You can follow Greg Ragland on Twitter @GregRagland

                                                                                                        Happy Thanksgiving,

                                                                                                                              Danny   

Letter to a Discouraged Student

To a discouraged student,

You're discouraged.  I know you are.  Your heart sunk when you saw the grade. But that letter grade doesn't define you.  You did your best... but no one knows, and no one seems to care.  You studied... but your teacher doesn't think so.  She doesn't know what happened at your house last night.  She doesn't know why you didn't get much sleep.

You've never made the honor roll, but you have worked harder for your "C" than some of those other kids worked for their "A". You're kind, but the teacher doesn't have a rubric for kindness.  You smile every morning, but facial expressions don't go in the grade book. You gave a pencil to your classmate, but that didn't earn you any points. You're always on time, and you're never in trouble, but there wasn't a question on the test about that.   I'm sorry we care so much about that letter grade.  It certainly does not represent your hopes, goals, and dreams.  I'm sorry you're embarrassed when the teacher handed the papers back.  You're gonna be fine.  You have potential that is not measured by that last test.  You have gifts that were not assessed by that last quiz.  You didn't make the honor roll... but I still think you're a neat kid.

You're bored, and it's hard for you to care about assignments that don't have anything to do with your life.  You're good at things the teacher doesn't seem to care about.  You're passionate about things that aren't on the syllabus.  You're tired of being compared to those around you. You feel like you don't measure up -- like you are inadequate.  But your grade does not reflect your IQ or your worth.  It is arbitrary.   I'm sorry that the grade is so important to all the adults.  After you graduate, no one will care about that grade.  They will care if you work hard; they will care how you work with other people; they will care about many things... but they will not ask you about your GPA. You may not feel like a good student, but you will be a valuable employee.  You will be a wonderful neighbor. You will be a great citizen.

You're discouraged... but I want you to know I care.  I want you to know I believe in you.  I want you to know that you have a bright future. You have talents and gifts that we may not even know about yet. We haven't found out how to measure them.

But you have them.

One size does not fit all, and I'm sorry we have not figured that out. You are amazing... and your worth will never be encapsulated by a letter grade.  So please don't give up.  Albert Einstein said, "If you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live it's whole life believing it is stupid." I'm sorry you feel so judged.  I'm sorry we keep giving you trees to climb. If you're a fish, forget about the tree -- just keep swimming.

                                                                                  I'm in your corner ...                                                                              
                                                                                  Danny Steele