Teaching Tip #179

Teaching Tip #179

You just never know the impact you have.  I had a very demanding, high level class first semester.  They took a lot out of me.  And, to be fair, I demanded a lot out of them.  The class was quite top heavy, in that it had some very, very talented writers.  However, it also had some who really struggled.  So at times I found myself devoting a lot of my time to helping a small group of students raise their writing up to college level standards.  That meant some of my upper echelon writers felt neglected.

I am sorry for that.  But they’re going to be just fine in college.  The other students, well, they are much better off for all the time I poured into them.

One student who I felt was critical of me - though I had no solid proof - just gave me a wonderful end of the year present and a very kind letter.  She thanked me for having the type of classroom environment that encouraged her to let her freak flag fly.  Best of all, she wrote that it was the first time in school where she felt comfortable being herself.

Year made!

So no matter how dark the days get, there is always hope.  I never would have thought I had that type of impact on that student.  There is always hope.