Classroom Victories

[mamselle]

That's lovely!!

M.

[ergative]

A student--very late after the end of term!--somehow managed to suborn a janitor or something to drop off a gift in my office. Grocery store chocolates, fine--never going to complain about those--but also a lovely illustrated book about local mammals that she got because she wanted something to reflect the otter theme I use to decorate my slides. She's a student from our MASSIVE first-year intro course, so already I'm a bit surprised to get a gift from such a soulless class, but a genuinely thoughtful, playful present like this really tickles my heart.

Still not thrilled she got in my office, though.

[mamselle]

Maybe she turned into an otter and sneaked a paw into the latch?

They're tricky that way...

Resonant joy.

M. 

[little bongo]

Yes, I think the sweet definitely outweighs the slightly creepy in this case.

[apl68]

It shows that people care, even in situations where they might not be expected to.

[statsgeek]

All in one day: 

Email from an alum currently in a program at my alma mater - stu is LOVING grad school and is getting some amazing opportunities. 

Email from a current student - had a computer failure but did not lose anything major due to the "save early, save often, save in more than one place" philosophy I drill into my classes. 

[apl68]

Congratulations on the good word from a former student, statsgeek!

[mamselle]

+1!

M.

[little bongo]

A student in my Tragedy course excitedly told me that upon re-watching "Scream 2," she noticed the references and parallels to Agamemnon. She suggested I re-watch "Scream 2" as well--might just do that.

[mbelvadi]

I'd like to share a letter a friend of mine just received from a student he taught at a deep-inner-city high school in the midwest over 10 years ago.
He taught world literature to students who regularly went to bed to the sound of gunfire, some of them sleeping in cars, many with at least one parent in prison.

Dr. MyFriend,

   It's me [student name]. I was is in your World Literature class during my sophomore year of high school. It's been a while since we talked. I'm writing to you to tell you thank you.

    Your class opened up a world of reading I never could have imagined; you introduced me to my favorite writer  Chinua Achebe. Your class not only exposed me to cultural genres of literature but also helped me gain confidence in my writing. I remember writing a response to reading and you calling me brilliant and commenting on it as well written. Your praise and acknowledgment helped me gain some confidence in my writing skills. Dr. M, being a student that had been told that I had a learning disability in written expression, made my confidence plummet. As a student with an IEP and diagnosis of this learning disability, I felt like my teachers just expected subpar work that only met minimal standards and was unworthy of praise and affirming notes.

      Dr. M, this email is to thank you for the experience you provided as a teacher. It was a short year but it's something that affects me daily. In my classroom, I teach primary school. I affirm my students with compliments that are rich and specific to the work they are doing. I make my classroom a safe space to explore and brainstorm and ask for help as well as feedback. I teach my students kindness; they're 2nd graders. They need to learn to support and learn from each other. They participate in Socratic seminars and group discussions where they learn public speaking and how to disagree respectfully. I adopted these practices because your class made me safe when I was in high school and I wanted to create a rich environment for learning like you.

[mamselle]

I'm in tears. That's beautiful.

M.

[Parasaurolophus]

From an email tonight:

P.S. I know you mentioned our last unit on Proofs would be one of the most difficult and I loved it so much that I am legitimately debating on taking another higher-level logic course in the future. It was SO good.

[marshwiggle]

From an email tonight:

P.S. I know you mentioned our last unit on Proofs would be one of the most difficult and I loved it so much that I am legitimately debating on taking another higher-level logic course in the future. It was SO good.

Now THAT is geeking out. Kudos for getting someone excited about proofs.

[statsgeek]

They all turned in their final papers.  The last one arrived at 11pm before the midnight late deadline, but I don't have to record any zeros.  This semester, that feels like a victory. 

[apl68]

They all turned in their final papers.  The last one arrived at 11pm before the midnight late deadline, but I don't have to record any zeros.  This semester, that feels like a victory.

It IS great to have something so important turn out so well.  Congratulations!