I am feeling happy, drained, supported, and exceptional at the end of a local week spending time with over 30 teachers and 5 facilitators. I usually appreciate my hometown and the area surrounding it, more so now after watching vicariously as teachers from across the country experienced the Cheney EWU campus, Upper Columbia, Kettle Falls, and Spokane's Kendall Yards. Spending time with teachers and university faculty members invigorates me every time. I will cherish moments with all I encountered, and with a few - I will never forget you. Thank you for interacting and spending time with me. | |
2 Comments
M
2/16/2024 05:56:16 am
Hi John. I was your student once at LC. I still think about the day you were so casually cruel to me that I left your class crying. It was over ten years ago and I still carry it with me sometimes. You seemed to be the best educator at the school. And the kindest soul. Which is why when you changed your tune and became so cruel towards me over the course of weeks, I couldn’t comprehend it and eventually internalized it so deeply. Being a teacher is not easy, I assume. And I’m sure you were loved by the majority of your students. And as a teenager at the time, I thought I had done something to deserve your treatment. That it was my fault. But now that I’m an adult, I look back on how you handled me and I realize “wow. That really wasn’t cool. He didn’t need to be like that. There were so many other ways.” I hope you remember to be mindful with your students. I’m sure you try to remember as often as possible. Maybe every day. But here’s another reminder that teenagers are vulnerable. They depend on teachers to make them feel safe.
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“This blog is not an official U.S. State Dept. blog. The views and information presented are the grantee’s own and do not represent the Teachers for Global Classrooms, IREX, or the U.S. Department of State.” |