Dear Future Students,

I know many of you will walk into my classroom, not looking forward to what I'll be teaching you that day. I know many of you might not like to read, or think poetry is stupid, or not care about grammar or see its importance. That's fine.

I know many of you will bring your problems into my class. Maybe there's trouble at home, or maybe you're having a fight with your friends, or having a problem in your relationship. Maybe you're being bullied, or you're struggling in school, or you've lost a loved one. Maybe you feel, for whatever reason, that you don't belong, or that you're not good enough. Maybe you are just tired and want to go home.

That's fine. I understand.

I want you to know that I care about you. Whatever the problem is in your life, I will lend a listening ear, a caring hand. I will be there to help, and if I don't have the ability to do so, I will find someone who does. I want you to know that my classroom will be an environment of learning and of safety. It will be a room of mutual respect. I will not use my authority as a teacher to belittle you. I will instead be a facilitator. I will be your biggest cheerleader, hoping to guide you toward your dream of success, whatever that may be.

I don't expect you do adore every story and poem you learn in my class. I know not all of you will find them all to be interesting. In teaching them to you, however, I hope to introduce you to a new way of thinking about the world. I hope I provide you with literature that makes you feel that you are not alone in your struggles and emotions. I hope you learn how literature can be an escape to a new world. I hope you learn how writing is an instrument for your personal entertainment, and an instrument to help you succeed. When you leave my classroom, I simply hope you have learned; I hope you can take something with you.

I don't have to be your favorite teacher. My class doesn't have to be your favorite. I simply hope you know that I care about you. I care about your well-being. I care about your feelings. I care that you succeed in your life dreams.

If years down the road you remember one thing from my class, related to my curriculum or not, I can say I have done my job. If you only remember that I have treated you with respect and that I gave you tools to learn and be successful, that is good enough for me. You don't have to remember my name or my face. Just remember one lesson learned, and I will have been a successful educator

Sincerely,

Your teacher