To the Finish Line

I am a teacher of writing; I am a writer too.

I have strongly held beliefs about teaching, about learning, and about the way the world should work.

I delivered this letter to my 84 students on Monday, our very first day together in room 309.  My hope is that, through this piece, my new students begin to see exactly who I am and, more importantly, that they accept my invitation to learn, to teach, to grow, to give.

August 18, 2008

To My New Eighth Grade Students,

I like to begin the year by sharing a favorite story, and I particularly enjoyed this one, which I read about in The New York Times earlier this summer.  This true story reminded me of the power of individuals to make a difference in the world.

You see, there was this young woman, Beatrice, who graduated from Connecticut College this year.  You might be thinking, “Big deal.  People graduate from college all the time.”  Yes, but not women like Beatrice.   Why?  When Beatrice was a young girl living in Uganda, she desperately wanted to go to school, but she was destined to become illiterate because her parents were peasants and could not afford to send her to school.  She stayed home.

Meanwhile, across the world, a group of young children living in Connecticut were looking for a good cause.  They decided to pool together their money and buy goats for African villagers through Heifer International.  One of the goats, which cost just $120, went to Beatrice’s parents.  That goat mated with another and soon had twins.  Well, before they knew it, Beatrice and her siblings had plenty of goat’s milk to drink, which gave them a nutritional boost AND they were able to sell the extra milk for…money!

What do you think happened next?  Yes.  Beatrice’s parents decided that they could now afford to send their daughter to school.  She enrolled and was far older than the other students in her grade.  She studied hard and became the best student in the school.

But the story does not end there.  An American visiting the school was so impressed by Beatrice that she decided to write a book called Beatrice’s Goat, which became a bestseller.  Beatrice was such a phenomenal student that she won a scholarship not only to Uganda’a best girls’ high school, but then to Connecticut College.  Then, a group of donors to Heifer International, so taken by her story, which had been made famous by the American writer, paid for her living expenses.

Beatrice graduated from college this summer, becoming the first person from her village to ever earn a college degree from America.  She plans to pursue a master’s degree from Clinton School of Public Service in Arkansas and then to return to Africa to work for an aid group.   Wow.  All of this resulted from a few little kids who hoped to make a difference in the life of another.

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We all have hundreds of chances each day to make a positive difference in someone else’s life. I hope that you will think about that as you work your way through the year on this team, in this classroom.  Think about what you can do to help breed an atmosphere of kindness around here. Think about what you can do to help make this team feel like a community.  The 8-South teachers will also be asking you to think about what we can do to help heal the world.

Think, too, about what IS, and what should be, our responsibility to those around us.  We will explore this idea through the core texts that we will read this year:  The Miracle Worker, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Of Mice and Men.  Each of these books has a character that reaches out to another human being, one who, like Beatrice, is in desperate need of help.

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I hope that our classroom is a place where you seize the chance to be kind, to explore fresh ideas, to take risks.  You must be patient with yourself and have faith in your ability.

Everyone in this classroom has stories to share.  Since there is only one YOU in this world, you bring a unique perspective to share.  Nobody else in this class has shared your exact challenges, been where you’ve been, grown up with your family.  When you share these experiences, both in discussion and in your writing, the whole class will be enriched.  I know forward to getting to know each one of you.  One of my goals is that each one of you will feel comfortable voicing your opinions and sharing your ideas.  We need to learn from each other’s experiences.

Too many people have a distorted notion of what it means to be a great teacher.  We sometimes think of someone who has all of the answers, all of the knowledge, but, really, I believe that a great teacher is someone who asks questions, who seeks answers, and who is not afraid to admit that oftentimes, her own students are the greatest teachers.  I look forward to being your teacher this year; I look forward, too, to all that I know you will teach me this year.  We all have a lot to learn.

Love,

Ms. Baker

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Write me back, in letter format, on looseleaf paper or typed.  In your letter, please do the following:
1.    Respond to the story that I have told you here and/or to something else that I have said in this letter.
2.    Share the important details of a story that you really like, real or fictional.  Think about stories that you have read, heard, and seen (i.e. movie plots).
3.    What are your strengths/interests/talents?
4.    What are your hopes for Literacy class this year?
5.    Share anything else that would help me get a better sense of the person you are.