The Joys of Teaching: When a Student Writes

Last summer, I had the pleasure of teaching writing to students from grades 4 to 12. One of them sent me an email just recently.

I really enjoyed your classes and will surely miss you teaching me new things in general. You are a very fun and enthusiastic teacher and it makes me want to learn more and listen. 

I really appreciate what you have taught me and decided to give you a letter. It is to show my appreciation and what I have learned from you. I decided to use the strategies you taught me and implement them here :D.

On the day my Mom told me I was joining a class in essay writing, I didn’t really care. I expected it to be like every other summer class I had; lecture, homework, discuss and repeat. Of course there would be moments where I really did enjoy them and am thankful towards my teachers. Those moments, albeit fun and enjoyable, were all shared with other classmates. This was more special, I felt really happy and excited to learn about whatever you had to say. 

Please continue to teach and write, you are truly great at both. This experience really brightened my summer. You have a very optimistic point of view. I hope you had fun teaching me as much as I had fun learning from you. I wish that you and your family will continue to be safe in these difficult times, thank you.

This warmed my heart and so, I replied.

It was a pleasure working with you as well. You are a very smart and perceptive person. I admire the diligence and independence you put into your work. I learned to give you space and allow pacing in between meetings so that you can concentrate on writing your essay. The beautiful thing about teaching is that, teachers like me learn so much from their students.

Thank you for allowing me to teach you. I hope to see you again soon! Stay safe!