During the second week of school, I had several former students return to visit me at the middle school where I work and where I taught them during the previous year. I was happy to see all of them and hear about their new experiences as grade 9 secondary students. However, a visit with one student resonated with me most because of the comments she shared regarding the way my lessons and instructions positively impacted her learning.
During our visit, we had a pleasant conversation where she shared some of the joys and challenges of being in secondary school that related to making new friends, finding the location of her classes, and managing her course load. Remembering that she was an avid reader and working towards writing her first novel while in grade 8, I asked if she still found time to read material of interest beyond assigned course readings and if she was still working on her novel. She shared that unfortunately she had little time for either, due to the demands of her courses. She then listed her courses and said that she was happy to be taking English during her first term because it gave her an opportunity to read novels and write about them.
She went on to say that she has been receiving positive feedback from her English teacher regarding the structure and quality of her writing. She then told me that part of the reason she chose to visit was to thank me for helping her to become a better writer. She said that before being in my language class she felt that her writing was disorganized and that I really taught her how to organize and communicate her written ideas. Her comments brought me immense joy because they provided clear insight to my lessons and instructions impacted her learning.
While I was thankful to hear that the work I did with this student had a positive impact on her learning, I know that even if she did not share her comments, I would continue striving to facilitate a classroom program that positively impacts student learning. Her comments helped me to understand that even after 16 years of teaching, hearing that I helped a student further develop their literacy skills is immensely rewarding. I share this story because I know that there are numerous other educators across the province doing remarkable work with students and that work is positively impacting their learning. I hope that they too know, whether you hear it from a student or not, the work you do matters.
