Project 365:: Day 164

Day 164 We began our first full day of institute with a bang, lots of coffee, and tired eyes.  That travel mug has been useful for the gallons of coffee I have already consumed staying alert, engaging with text, and polishing our lessons. We were asked to reflect on what we would want our parents to say about our classroom.  I wrote a letter to myself through the eyes of a parent that I would like to share.

Dear Mrs. Pittman,

When our daughter first walked into your class, she was scared, nervous, and excited.  School has been a challenge and it seemed that she was left to fall behind.  Your class was different.  You offered her a chance to feel part of community.  She flourished knowing that she was valued.  She was invested in her education and you continued to praise her, encourage her, and empower her.  

I look at my daughter today and she is so different than she was that first day of school.  Today, she is confident in her abilities.  She shares with us her voice, her opinions, and her love of learning.  It hasn’t been easy.  There were days she struggled with the assignments you gave her.  She struggled with her independent reading and her math.  But she never gave up.  She always said “Mrs. Pittman needs me to do this”.  So, she did. 

 I will admit—I was doubtful of your classroom.  Teach For America has been controversial; what could you teach my daughter; how would you be different?  I look back on those first weeks of school.  My daughter has grown so much.  She loves learning and yearns for more.  But you have grown even more.  You have managed to build a community of organized, respectful, and enthusiastic learners.  Your teaching has gone from just merely teaching basic principles to really encouraging students to be excited and engage with their learning.  You have preserved through the challenges that so many first-year teachers face and you never showed a wrinkle or a frown.  The students are lucky to have you and I hope that next years’ students show even greater progress.  

Thank you for giving our daughter and our school your gifts of community, empowerment and perseverance.  These will be the skills necessary for our daughter to succeed far beyond high school.

Peace.