Dear Students,
This
letter that I am writing is dedicated to each and every student whom I have
stood before over the last three years, and those who I look forward to
standing before in the future. I
am writing you to tell you that I care.
Care, to you, may seem like a simple four letter word, but to me it is a
word that makes a world of difference.
As a teacher I have learned that caring can help break down barriers and
strengthen relationships and bonds in order to create a welcome environment for
learning and teaching. I care that
in each and every single one of your kindergarten through fifth grade bodies
you hold an individual story that makes you who you are, and that is
special. This is a concept I have
been refining and redefining in this, my third year, or teaching as I have also
been taking graduate classes simultaneously.
As your art teacher, I have the great
pleasure of having each and every one of you in my classroom for up to six
years. This may not seem like a
big deal to you, but I think it is very special that I have the opportunity to
watch you grow and learn, year after year, even if it is for only one art
period a week. There aren’t too many
other teachers in the school who can say they have the privilege I have. It may seem silly, but I think it is
very special that I know each and every boys and girls names in the
school. How many people can say
they can do that?
Because of this
opportunity I have been able to learn a lot about you. However, there is so much more I would
like to know. So far, I understand
that even though many of you live within just three short miles of each other,
you are all so very different and unique.
I understand that many of your lives may seem to be worlds apart from
each other. Some of you may go
home to a mom and a dad and a comfortable home, but at the same time your buddy
who sits two seats down goes home to his grandma in the temporary apartment he
shares with his three other younger siblings. Other classmates may go home to their foster parents and
some may go after school to visit a parent who lives in a different location or
who is in prison. Additionally,
not only have I learned to understand about your lives at home, but I also have
learned to understand about your likes and dislikes. For example, I know that many of you play team sports and
excel at them, but I also know that some of you enjoy going to your families
Hmong church on Sundays and holidays.
I also know that some of you were thrilled when you learned that you
were going to have a new baby brother or baby sister, but some of you also felt
scared and upset, and that’s ok. I appreciate that because of your uniqueness
our school has representatives from many different countries and cultures
around the world as well as many different religions.
The reason that I
am writing all the different aspects I have tried to understand and learn who
you are and what makes you, you is because that is one of the main ways I can
help care for you. I don’t think
that many of you were/are aware, but those times when I invited you to spend
lunch with me in the art room were one of my ways of getting to know you
better. You may not remember, or
have been aware, but many of our “lunch dates” were arranged after we had a
difficult moment together in the classroom or in the halls. I chose to invite you to have lunch
with me because I wanted to get to know you better. I wanted to show you that I was (and still am) interested in
who you are and what it means to be you.
You may have not realized it at the time, but many of you became a bit
more relaxed as you finished lunch and shared with me a piece of your
story. Thank you.
However, as you
and I both know, the time we have together in the art room is very short in
comparison to the time you spend with your classroom teacher. So in order to learn all that I
need/want to know about you, I also seek out the assistance of your teachers,
the principal, the resource room teacher and your parents. I have spent many lunch breaks and
after school hours with your classroom teachers talking about just you. Through your teacher’s I have learned
much about what I can do in order to help you have a richer learning experience. Sometimes the answers are simple, other
times the answers are quite complex, but every time I come away with a better
understanding of who you are and with tools for myself to teach you better.
Another way I try
to show you that I care is by how I interact with you. It’s not always easy, but I try to make
a conscious effort to speak with you in a respectful manner. Rather than yell to you from across the
room when something is awry, I try my best to go to you by your side, and out
of earshot of your classmates to discuss the situation at hand. The reason I do this is because I don’t
want you, or anyone else to feel embarrassed. I have found that by talking to you one on one in privacy is
the best way to handle an issue because you and I are both more comfortable and
focused. I do have to admit that
there have been circumstances where a situation has been unsafe and I have
yelped from across the room in order to quickly change the situation, however,
I do see how this behavior affects you negatively so I don’t let it happen
often and I realize that this is something I will need to continue working on.
Now
that I have explained a few ways of how I go about caring I would like to now
explain how care became and developed as an important aspect of who I am inside
and outside of the classroom. In my
own personal school of life, I have always been sensitive. I have been sensitive to other people’s
feelings as well as my own. This
sensitivity I feel goes hand in hand with care, depending on how one chooses to
react to it. As a little girl I
was always made an effort to not hurt other people’s feelings. And I did this to a fault where I
internalized how I thought the other person may have felt. As a youngster this may not have been
the best for me to do, but it helped shape me into who I am today. As I grew a bit older and entered high
school I saw first hand how harmful it can be when a teacher doesn’t care. In 10th grade I experienced
my first major loss. That fall one
of my close girl friends chose to end her life. To me, this was a confusing, shocking and earth shattering
experience. The event happened on
a weekend, so when we returned to school on Monday the news was announced to
each student in their first period of the day classroom. I received the news the previous
Sunday, so I already knew what had happened and had already began trying to
process this new information and was an emotional wreck. Following the announcement, class
proceeded as usual. On the agenda
for that morning was to give an oral report. I was in no shape to give an oral presentation and it was
blatantly obvious, but I was still forced to get in front of my classmates as I
was wilting like a flower and I presented. This is a moment I will never forget. The teacher didn’t do anything
inherently evil, but she should have known better. She should have looked at my red swollen face and eyes (that
were still crying) and pulled me aside to ask me if I was ready to present, or
even just ask if I was OK. The
insensitivity that I experienced in her classroom that day I will hold with me
for the rest of my life and use as a tool to remind me of what not to do. Today I make a conscious effort to pull
a student aside if they look like they are uncomfortable in order to help ease what
they are feeling and to additionally give them the opportunity to say what is
on their mind in order help lift what is weighing them down.
Additionally,
in my internship elementary placement I was fortunate to be the mentee of an
incredibly compassionate woman who I will call Mrs. V. Before Mrs. V much of what I recalled
as communication in school consisted of teachers addressing individuals’ issues
before their peers and teachers raising their voices in order to be heard. Mrs. V opened my eyes to how beneficial
it can be to talk to students in a respectful manner. I remember watching Mrs. V when she had kindergarteners in
her classroom. Kindergarteners
were the only group who could really frazzle Mrs. V., but rather than raising
her voice when students were talking out of turn Mrs. V. chose to respectfully
and quietly address the issue so no other student could hear. These were beautiful little private
moments that I was able to watch.
I don’t know all of what Mrs. V. quietly whispered to her student, but
what I do know is that I watched Mrs. V. stay calm as she explained to the
student the situation, and more importantly, the student remained calm and
changed their behavior as a result.
The interaction lasted no longer than 15 seconds, but the results were
great. The students knew that they
were safe and that Mrs. V. only wanted what was best for them. I hope that you know I only want the
best for you.
As I mentioned in
my introduction paragraph, I have been attending graduate school throughout my
third year of teaching. In my
graduate classes I have been asked to reflect upon what curriculum should
be. Through my studies I have come
to the conclusion that curriculum needs to take care of not only the mind and
body of a student through a child-centered education, but it also needs to also
take care of our student’s souls or spirits. As one of my professor’s Kyle noted, and which I hole
heartedly agree, “I think it is our primary duty as teachers--to help grow up.
I mean that in the broadest possible sense. If it's one thing I learned in my
own dissertation research, there is nothing that damages kids more than when
they bring their problems to school, and the school turns its back. Kids need
help sorting through all sorts of tricky things in their lives--this sorting
out, if not the exact heart of the curriculum, needs to be co-equal with the
more formal learning of subject matter we usually equate with curriculum. Teachers, perhaps more than any other
adult (aside from parents, and maybe clergy), hold immense power to heal and to
hurt children.” This last sentence
is something that really struck a chord with me and is something I will hold in
my mind as long as I teach.
Teachers do hold an immense power to heal and to hurt children. I hope that with each moment that I
care, I am offering a healing moment.
Growing up can be very difficult and complex, but I have the ability to
offer bits and pieces of relief to you, my students. This is a position I do not take lightly and I hope to
develop further over time as I become more experienced.
Thank you for
allowing me into your young lives.
I hope that I have taught you as much as you have taught me. And for those of you I have not met
yet, I look forward to what we are going to learn and experience together as we
grow. I hope that you can use what
I have taught you through my caring in order to not only better your own life,
but also the lives of those around you.
Whenever you act or speak, try to think about how what you choose to do
may make another person feel.
Remember, put forth into the world what you want back.
Sincerely,
Ms. Treblin
