A Handwritten Note for Every Student

This school year, I'm writing a thoughtful note to each and every one of my students...

It's sometimes hard to imagine that I've been teaching for almost ten years! Over the last decade, I've picked up certain "tools," tips, and advice from other educators. Several years ago, I learned from a young inspirational teacher, Ms. Weaver, that writing a note to your students, at the end of the school year, really makes a positive impact. I don't do this every year, but I am this time around, and I'm halfway finished. Only about 49 more notes to go.

The message in each card is generally this. I keep it positive, and I plant a seed. I let my students know how grateful I am to be their teacher, I point out something positive they've done this school year, and I speak success, following their dreams, and never giving up as the main mantra. 

I'm fully aware that most of these will end up in the trash or left stashed away in a desk in a classroom, but for a handful of students, these notes will be a keepsake, and hopefully one they will return to, time and time again, when life gets them down. 

And sometimes, I get lucky enough to be the recipient of a handwritten note from one of my students. I discovered this one just this morning, tucked away in a secret hiding place. It made my week!

In the next post, I'll share something I've been doing with my students for the past several years. It gets them every time. They end up sobbing on the last day of school...and I do too!