Dear Students
I understand your teenage years are the most tumultuous you may ever go through. Your bodies are changing, your brains are hardwired to take risks and push boundaries, you are struggling with the internal conflict of what your mind and body are telling you and what society is demanding of you. You are trying to discover who you are and where you fit into this world.
Believe me when I say I understand, to an extent. Each of us is different with different life experiences, but I too have gone through this process in my own way many years ago and I now carry a few more years of wisdom and experience that I wish to share with you to help you avoid the pitfalls I fell into on my own journey. I do this despite knowing you may never accept it, or believe it. I do this because that is who I am, that is my responsibility to you, the future generation. The ones who will inherit the world from us and who will hand it down to those who follow you.
It is for this reason I take my responsibility to you and your education very seriously. As a teacher, an educator, it is my role to engage you, to inspire you, to open the doors for you and to help you take your next steps into the future with confidence. I am happy to see you in class and I enjoy our learning together.
But I am first and foremost your teacher, your mentor, you coach and your guide. I will push you beyond what you thought you were capable of and show you new horizons. I will not accept ‘I can’t do it’ as an answer and I will certainly not accept “I can’t be bothered”. I will not accept laziness in the face of a challenge and I will push you to discover just how much you can actually do and if you can’t be bothered, I will show you why you must be bothered. If you put the effort in I will help you every step of the way. I will bend-over backwards to support your needs. If not, believe that I will spend that extra time with you to show you why you need to.
With each achievement you make and success you have I will raise my expectations of you. I will drive you, push you, demand more of you. I will not give up on you and I won’t let you give up on yourself. If you strive to do your best each day, then that is all I can ask for and I will help you every step of the way.
I do this because you are the future of not just this country but of the global community. As such I expect great things from you. I will endeavour to give you the tools you will need to make your mark on the world and make it a better place. I will strive to develop your critical thinking and analysis skills. I will show you how to question and examine the world around you. Make no mistake, when you set foot in my classroom you are there to learn. You are there to push yourself, you are there to make yourself a better person, a more productive person, a more learned person with the capacity to change not just your future but that of those around you.
I will push you to your limits and then when you think you can’t take another step I will show you that you can. I will not accept mediocrity but I will accept the best you can do. Then I will help you to do better
I will ask you questions but I won’t ‘give’ you the answer. I will make you think and discover the answer for yourself. I will guide you in how to validate your information but I will not spoon feed you. I won’t be around forever and you will have to learn to work things out on your own.
I will not pick-up after you but I will help you learn self responsibility. I will not accept excuses or whinging when things are hard or if you have not done your homework but I will listen to your concerns and I will support you if you are having a genuine problem. All I ask is that you make an effort and ask for help when you need it.
The world is so much bigger than us, so much more than us, but each of us have the chance to play an important role. Each of us have the ability to make a difference and change the world even in a small way. I will not accept that you have nothing to offer and nothing to give, I will not accept that you are not important nor will I accept that you are more important than anyone else.
I will do all of this because I am your teacher, I am your guide, your mentor and your coach. I am the one who will stand behind you and point the way but it is you who must take the first step. Your path is there for you to choose and choose you must. Life awaits and I will prepare you for it one way or another.
Yours sincerely
Your teacher.