Copyright © Louis Schmier and Atwood Publishing.
Date: Mon, 20 Dec 1999 11:48:46 -0500 (EST)
Random Thought: A Christmas Card
I just received a message from Melinda. Very few of you know
about Melinda. She had been in one my classes as I had begun my journey
from professor to teacher. I had shared the story of her transformation
in a Random Thought almost six years ago to the day. She and I have
remained close friends. She had transferred to the University of Georgia
and had graduated as an education major, and I have been something of a
distance mentor to her. She is now a caring teacher in a Massachusettes
school system. She is so excited. And I am so happy for her. All term
she had worked with a struggling student to succeed. She had devoted many
after school session to helping him focus, never let him go unnoticed,
constantly encouraged him when he faltered, constantly applauded him when
he didn't, and always reminded him that he is capable. She found ways to
keep this student's hope alive, to work for his transformation, to believe
that change was possible. She just received a Christmas card in which the
student had written, "Thanks for giving me a second chance." She ended her
message with a teary, breath-catching and spine-tingling "wow!"
I told her to preserve that card as a sacred object of her
teaching, to place that student at the beginning of a career long "hope
list" detailing changes in students. More important, I told her to keep it
as a constant reminder of the lesson she was just taught, a lesson we all
should learn well, without which there would be no "hope list:":
There is a joyous music of teaching. Teach with
its special rhythm, with its special tempo: the
heartbeat of the student.
Let me and Susan take this opportunity to wish all of you a joyous
holiday season and the best for the coming "almost" millenium.
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