A letter to my seniors,
As we are just a few weeks until you graduate, allow me the
opportunity to share with you a few of my thoughts.
First, thank you.
Thank you for letting me stand in front of you every day and teach you
Calculus and Pre-Calculus. We all know
that the material can be a bit…dry… at times, and still you were respectful to
me and showed up willing to close your mouths, open your minds, and try to
learn. I am grateful for the level of
respect you showed me all year. I hear
stories from other teachers of the blatant disrespect that they receive from
students almost daily. Never once have
any of you treated me with anything but respect. Please know that it goes both ways. I very much respect you for your behaviors
towards me.
I’d like you to consider 2 things as you progress to college
or the work force. First, have a plan. If you go to college, have a plan. Here’s one thought. From Sunday through Thursday, be the best
college student on campus. Go to class,
go to the library, get a work-out, and study some more. Be perfect from Sunday to Thursday. Friday and Saturday? Let it go.
Have some fun. Relax, enjoy your
friends and your surroundings. Without
your parents to guide you now, you are going to be pulled in a LOT of
directions. If you live in a dorm, EVERY
night you will be invited to do something other than study. It will be pretty easy to be talked into
having a beer with friends over reading a boring chapter of Biology. Sunday-Thursday? Read the damn chapter. Have a
plan, execute your plan, and finish college with a meaningful degree in 4
years.
Lastly, the big lie, I think, is to try to find a job you
will enjoy. I think you should try to
make a living at what you are good at. I’m
good at math and found a way to make a living because I have something that
society is willing to pay for. I don’t
like math. Math isn’t…likable. I’m just good at it. Find what you are good at. Find what you can do that society is willing
to pay you to do. I bet you will grow to
like it too.
Good luck. Go be
honorable, moral, hard-working, people of good character. G_d bless you and G-d Bless America..
Truth!! You are a blessing to your students and even reach out to those who are not. You are a true influential role model! My daughter’s favorite day was Friday when you shared more than math with your class... life lessons that shaped her to be the awesome young woman she is today. <> Kyleigh Beatty’s Mom.
ReplyDelete