Miss Langston

In January these words were very foreign to me. Sure that is my name, but it is certainly not a way that I refer to myself. I would typically introduce myself as Su....Miss Langston. Well, over the course of the past 14 weeks, I have become more accustom to my own name. Today was my last day of student teaching. I can't believe it! Overall, it has been a great day! I received lots of hugs and kind words. I am truly going to miss driving to Cooper High School everyday.

At the end of March, my class and I were studying intrapersonal communication. We watched and discussed The Truman Show. The end of the assignment asked students to write a letter to themselves, identifying 5 goals that they have for themselves for the next 5 years. They were also to include how they perceive themselves now as well as how they hope to be perceive in five years. I tried to emphasize the importance of setting goals for themselves and then to identify how they were going to go about achieving them. The day that they wrote their letters was my favorite day of student teaching. Students spent over a half an hour pouring words onto sheets of paper. The students then addressed an envelop to themselves, sealed it and dropped it in a bag. They are still awaiting the day that it arrives in the mailbox. And they remind me about it frequently!

On that day, I was so encouraged by the seriousness they took in writing their letters. It was one of many moments when I felt affirmed in my desire to teach. I wanted to put my words onto paper also. I didn't stick to the prompt they were given. I wrote a letter to myself about my students and my experiences with them. I too sealed my letter and hid it in a notebook, not to be read again until my last day of student teaching. These are the words that I read to them today:

March 30, 2009

Dear Suzanne, (*Remember, these letters were supposed to be written to ourselves. I am not a weirdo.*)

I just wanted to remind you that you have the sweetest kids in the whole wide world. I am amazed at how attached to them I have become. With every assignment, every daily interaction, I am getting to know them more. We have become more similar in the way that we interact with one another, the things that we think are funny, and the way that we process information.

They do countless tiny things everyday that make me laugh or smile, and they don't even know it. I love watching them apply the things that they have learned. I love listening to them as they share things that are important to them. I laugh at the way that they think that they are all grown up. I am thankful for the fact that all of us, myself included, are never "all grown up".

I am thankful for the things that these students have taught me- about myself, about education and about the world around me. I am honored to have had the opportunity to be their teacher. I hope that they have learned half as much from me as I have learned from them.

I am grateful for the fact that I have gotten to be a part of their educational experience. Everyone of my students is deeply talented. They are all so smart and capable of accomplishing their goals. I especially love to watch the students who don't know exactly what they want. They have yet to discover all that they are capable of. I am certain that each one of these students that I have gotten to know will do great things. I can't wait for the success that they will feel as they accomplish their goals and the pride they will have in themselves as the result of a job well done.

I am grateful for this experience- for both the hard days and the laughter and smiles. I am thankful for the guidance that I have had throughout this process. I am thankful for the ways that I have grown as an educator and a person through the time in this classroom. It is with great enthusiasm that I begin teaching!

Sincerely,
Suzanne

P.S.: There is no way that I won't cry on my last day of student teaching.

I was right about that last part. It was a great experience and a wonderful last day!