AG
The original AG.
And yes, she is original.
I'm using an alias for my student who recently honored me as her favorite teacher, although she gave me pictures to post with this blog.
"You should blog about this!" she encouraged, handing me a jersey to wear last Friday. What an honor. She's the manager for the Boys Basketball team and they are lucky to have her.
AG, a peanut-sized sophomore who I taught last semester, is one of those students who immediately makes you smile. And laugh. Always positive, AG enjoys life. No matter what the journal assignment or reading passage, she did it. It was that simple. She never required goading. She never complained. She never gave excuses. Her maturity was enough to know that what was being asked of her was not astronomical or unreasonable. She was here to learn, and she was here to have fun. She never missed an opportunity to giggle with her friends, be silly during group work, or ask common adolescent questions such as, "Is this due today? For points?"
She always looks adorable. Recently, she lopped her long, straight hair into a hip, shoulder-length, curled "do" that accents her tiny frame. What I might love most is that she often sports her school spirit, whether it be her grey Spartans hoodie with white jeans or her long-sleeved black Oak Lawn Basketball T-shirt with ripped jeans and white Nikes.
She has a different teacher this semester but always gives me a cheerful, "Hi, Mrs. Jepsen!" as she sashays past my room to her new English classroom. It's like the scene in Mr. Holland's Opus where the scene is set in slo-motion as Mr. Holland walks down the crowded hallway. The camera zooms in on sweet students waving; the audience reads the lips of smiling students saying, "Hi, Mr. Holland." The music program had been cut at the school, and this was one of the final scenes in the film. It has always resonated with me. Those five-second exchanges with students can encapsulate this whole vocation.
There's always the risk of looking narcissistic when one writes about being chosen as a favorite teacher, but this blog is dedicated to AG as a thank you for the proverbial shot in the arm that all teachers need, especially in February, when teacher's days are long, their inspiration is tanking, their creativity is waning, and their patience is plummeting. Well, maybe not all teachers. But I can probably speak for many English teachers who, like myself, are reading three different texts at the same time while grading 79 essays over their weekends. So for AG to express gratitude, to acknowledge the work I do, is no different than winning a Tony. It validates and gives purpose to teachers like myself who are not publicly lauded for their work. Because most teachers do not want public recognition. That's not what it's about.
But last Friday was public. The coach hosted a beautiful evening for us, complete with a pasta dinner, a certificate, and a Starbucks gift card. He shared the words each player wrote about their teachers and to top it all off, we watched our varsity boys clinch another W against Shepherd. AG even sent me home with Angel cupcakes as an added thank you.
So this if for you, AG. Thank you for being you and for making it all worthwhile.
And yes, she is original.
I'm using an alias for my student who recently honored me as her favorite teacher, although she gave me pictures to post with this blog.
"You should blog about this!" she encouraged, handing me a jersey to wear last Friday. What an honor. She's the manager for the Boys Basketball team and they are lucky to have her.
AG, a peanut-sized sophomore who I taught last semester, is one of those students who immediately makes you smile. And laugh. Always positive, AG enjoys life. No matter what the journal assignment or reading passage, she did it. It was that simple. She never required goading. She never complained. She never gave excuses. Her maturity was enough to know that what was being asked of her was not astronomical or unreasonable. She was here to learn, and she was here to have fun. She never missed an opportunity to giggle with her friends, be silly during group work, or ask common adolescent questions such as, "Is this due today? For points?"
She always looks adorable. Recently, she lopped her long, straight hair into a hip, shoulder-length, curled "do" that accents her tiny frame. What I might love most is that she often sports her school spirit, whether it be her grey Spartans hoodie with white jeans or her long-sleeved black Oak Lawn Basketball T-shirt with ripped jeans and white Nikes.
She has a different teacher this semester but always gives me a cheerful, "Hi, Mrs. Jepsen!" as she sashays past my room to her new English classroom. It's like the scene in Mr. Holland's Opus where the scene is set in slo-motion as Mr. Holland walks down the crowded hallway. The camera zooms in on sweet students waving; the audience reads the lips of smiling students saying, "Hi, Mr. Holland." The music program had been cut at the school, and this was one of the final scenes in the film. It has always resonated with me. Those five-second exchanges with students can encapsulate this whole vocation.
There's always the risk of looking narcissistic when one writes about being chosen as a favorite teacher, but this blog is dedicated to AG as a thank you for the proverbial shot in the arm that all teachers need, especially in February, when teacher's days are long, their inspiration is tanking, their creativity is waning, and their patience is plummeting. Well, maybe not all teachers. But I can probably speak for many English teachers who, like myself, are reading three different texts at the same time while grading 79 essays over their weekends. So for AG to express gratitude, to acknowledge the work I do, is no different than winning a Tony. It validates and gives purpose to teachers like myself who are not publicly lauded for their work. Because most teachers do not want public recognition. That's not what it's about.
But last Friday was public. The coach hosted a beautiful evening for us, complete with a pasta dinner, a certificate, and a Starbucks gift card. He shared the words each player wrote about their teachers and to top it all off, we watched our varsity boys clinch another W against Shepherd. AG even sent me home with Angel cupcakes as an added thank you.
So this if for you, AG. Thank you for being you and for making it all worthwhile.
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