Dear Students
A Letter of Gratitude
Dear Students,
Yes, you all. I just wanted to say thank you. I know what you're thinking (or should be thinking): that it is all of you who ought to be thanking me. And that is true. But this is a two-way street and I have some gratitude to express. "For what?" you might ask. Well, there's a whole list of things.
First, thank you to those who are here every day. That pencil you receive for perfect attendance might not seem like enough of a reward and this "thank you" probably isn't either, but it's yours. Some of you are here even when you shouldn't be. Those days where you're looking a little green or flushed with fever, but your mom or dad or stepmom or stepdad or grandma or auntie or sister or brother sent you to school anyways. You all are some tough cookies.
No, I didn't bring you cookies.
And thank you to those of you who are only present a couple days per week ...or month. Thank you for not disappearing no matter how many days you're absent because you're sick, taking care of little siblings, or stuck without a ride.
Thank you to all of you who come in tired, angry, sad, or hungry. To all of you who never show it. And to those of you who do, whether it's asking to go to the nurse for a stomachache because it's empty or losing your temper at me because someone made you mad before you got on the bus. I'm glad you're here even if I forget it in the moment.
Thank you to all of you who want to learn and succeed and to all of you who just want to feel safe and seen.
As for those of you who are learning so many new things in a language you don't speak at home, I'm so grateful for your remarkable perseverance. And for all of you who take on the role of student and teacher to help your friend who has more of this crazy language to learn than you do, I cannot express how thankful I am for you.
Thank you for all the laughs, the smiles, the tears, the exasperated sighs and the wonderful moments of watching that invisible light bulb above your head go off.
To all my book lovers who get so caught up in your story you forget to surface after reading time, you have my thanks. And to those of you who "hate" reading thank you for continuing to try.
Thanks for the "good mornings", the hugs good-bye, and the random questions that have nothing to do with the day's topic.
To my helpers who always collect papers and clean up messes even when you're not the ones who made them, thank you. I'm so grateful for your assistance and your attention to detail that often surpasses my own.
For those of you who bring your pencil and all your supplies each day, thank you for being so responsible. And for those of you who come empty handed, thank you for bringing your brain and your heart. We can work with that.
Some days are hard and some of you don't always put your best foot forward. Sometimes I don't either. We all make mistakes and we're all here to learn and to keep growing.
Even though some of you drive me insane, I love you and I'm grateful that I get to be your teacher. I know you didn't choose to be in this school or in my classroom, but you're the one who let me teach you something even if it's not the lesson I planned for the day.
Sincerely,
Ms. Shepard
About the Creator
D.K. Shepard
Character Crafter, Witty Banter Enthusiast, World Builder, Unpublished novelist...for now
Fantasy is where I thrive, but I like to experiment with genres for my short stories. Currently employed as a teacher in Louisville.
Keep reading
More stories from D.K. Shepard and writers in Humans and other communities.
Tales of Ardia: A Key of Destiny
The river ran backwards on the day the Queen vanished. But Tholien was not yet aware the elven Queen had disappeared. He was swimming in the Pool of Mayein at the base of the Great Falls. For nearly an hour he had been floating in the cool water, clearing his mind and soothing his senses. It wasn’t an unusual thing for an elf to do, but Tholien did it more frequently than others on account of his condition. For the waters in the Pool of Mayein had a restorative effect on those who immersed themselves regularly.
By D.K. Shepardabout a year ago in Fiction
Comments (13)
I’m in the mood to cry tonight, and I am glad I started off with your letter. I learnt so much about your students and what they are like, so much about you too and how big your heart is. I like how you pointed out their weaknesses and how your tone of gratitude did not change, that felt like a personal hug to the younger me. So with that, I will say thank you for writing this letter. Congratulations for your honourable mention under most discussed stories on this weeks leaderboard, this wasn’t the story the Vocal Team chose, but this was the one I wanted to read first. Congratulations once again 🎉🥳🎊
I'm truly sorry I got sidetracked somehow and forgot to leave a comment on this one the first time I read it. In retrospect, it may have been because it inspired me to write one about my teaching days. I love that you've humanized both teachers and students in this. What a wonderful letter!
Thanks for sharing this inspiring letter… such a great outlook. Love how you mention the up & down sides with a positive spin: “Thank you to all of you who want to learn and succeed and to all of you who just want to feel safe and seen.” What a wonderful blessing you must be to your students.🤩
Well-wrought! My favorite game to play in school was hooky, but even though I spent more time out than in, there were teachers that impressed me as people, and whose graceful treatment of my delinquency had a more profound impact than anything on the curriculum. Bless you!
This is such a clearly heartfelt piece- one can feel the genuine care you have for your students in each line. They're lucky to have you! :)
What a wonderful letter! I love this heartfelt dedication to your students!
Aw, this is so beautiful. Well done.
This is a beautiful letter, D.K.
Thank you for being a teacher! And for teaching many of us here on Vocal through your writing
Your compassion for your students is thoroughly commendable!
Such a snapshot of a classroom depicted amongst the gratitude. And also, you've captured the essence of society and the humanity that ties it all together. I loved this, D.K.
Good teachers do not get the credit deserve, and every year there is some new rule to hinder thier teaching abilities. So pat yourself on the back and continue to do the best you can. Even if they dont say thank you at the time, know you have made a difference for thier future.
Well, Ms Shepard, aside from the fact that it would not be possible as I'm sure I'm older than dirt and you are still young and spritely, I wish I had such a lovely individual teaching me at school. I did not. And this is a beautiful sign that at least there are educators out there like you that give a shit about your career and vocation. Love this a lot. I mean I say that a lot. You're one of my favourite writers, but each time I say it, I hope you know I mean it!