The end of the school year is a bittersweet time for teachers. It’s satisfying to bring to an end a year of hard work. That engenders a feeling of accomplishment, of completion. But it’s always sad, because very soon, our classes will meet for the final time. Each class with its unique personality, comprised of the unique personalities of each of you, will die, never to be reborn.
That understanding always leaves me with a sense of loss. Soon, I’ll rise in the morning and realize I can no longer look forward to seeing each of you every day. It’s like losing an old, trusted, beloved friend, many times over.
Does this surprise you? You didn’t know I felt that way about you? I do, and so do all dedicated teachers.
Teaching is not about the money. It’s about being a part of something bigger than oneself, something with the potential to change lives, to build a better future. It’s about giving of yourself that others might become more than they are, that they might build bigger, better, more capable brains. It’s about helping my students become smart, thoughtful, productive citizens, people who produce, who contribute to America’s future rather than taking from those that do.
Most of all, it’s about the sheer wonder of having a hand in your growth. I don’t mean physical growth—though that’s always amazing and often, surprising—but the intellectual and emotional growth the study of literature and writing makes possible.
I delight in each shy, quiet girl who becomes confident and outgoing, more woman than girl. I take great pleasure in each rambunctious boy that discovers that reading might not be so bad after all, and that he might even like poetry. I glory when students understand America’s Founders really were important, not just to America, but to Mankind.
By the way guys, I understand you can’t really admit that out loud. As you become more man than boy that will get easier, but for now, it will be our secret. And I smile with satisfaction at each student who remembers that “there is a tide,” means to take advantage of one’s opportunities. It’s always good to carry a little Shakespeare with us.
All year I worried that I was not exposing you to enough great literature. I worried that I was not giving you sufficient opportunity to write, and that I was not writing back to you with sufficient understanding and insight, or as often as I should. I worried that I wasn’t adequate to the task with which your parents entrusted me: providing the best educational opportunity I could manage. I seem to have less time to do that every year, but I never stop trying.
As I look back on this year, at missed opportunities, and at what might have been, I see your faces, and I smile, because I know you’re going to be OK.
Do you know what great kids you are? Every day I read about the horrors of kids in schools elsewhere in the nation, and then I look at you as we start each class. You’re smart, polite, caring, and good to each other, and of course, to me. I’m proud of you; we all are, not just for your academic accomplishments, but for who you are, for your everyday tender mercies.
As I’ve told you from our first day together, school is about more than the materials we study. You maintained portfolios to get into the habit of dealing with small details, because life is mostly about getting small things right. You were required to learn to listen and to be quiet at the appropriate times because that too is what life is about. You studied vocabulary because words are thoughts made real, and you needed to become more than you were at the beginning of the year. Benjamin Franklin was right: you shouldn’t squander time, because that’s what life is made of.
You remember that daily saying, don’t you? We did daily sayings because you needed to learn to think, to see the important lessons in the small things of life, because that’s where most of them are waiting to be found.
Everything we did, from “Name That Tune” on Fridays, to “Talk Like A Pirate Day,” to every writing assignment, had a purpose: to help you build skills, to help you become a more effective and competent human being. We studied science fiction because it expands your possibilities; it helps you think more broadly. Someday, you’ll understand why we did some assignments you didn’t particularly appreciate at the time. You may not, but you’ll be better for the experience anyway. That’s because part of what we did was to stress you, to make you think, to work and to accomplish new things, paragraph by paragraph, essay by essay. That’s how we grow, become adults, become more than we were on the first day we entered a classroom, wondering what kind of lunatic this English teacher would turn out to be.
When I taught earnest young men and women to be police officers, I used to tell them about the seven magic words: “please, thank you,” and “you are under arrest.” You don’t need the last four magic words, at least not right now, but we emphasized the first three because being polite is also what life is about. Some of you even learned that it’s possible to survive for 50 minutes at a time without manipulating a cell phone or going into texting withdrawal.
Perhaps the most important thing you learned is the necessity of paying attention, a lesson many of you only began in earnest this year, and if you’re wise, will work toward the rest of your life. Did you hear what I just said? Ha ha! That’s a little English teacher joke!
You’ll have other teachers during your final year of high school, and I know many of you won’t stop by to say hello. I understand. It’s time for you to move on. That too is a part of life. You’ve learned what you can from me and it’s time to learn from others. If I did it right, you’ll be better able to learn from them. You’ll be as important to them as you are to me, but my classroom door is always open to you.
Before I close this final lesson, a few questions (you could see that coming, couldn’t you?): Did you pay attention as often and as fully as you should? Did you take full advantage of your learning opportunities? Were you as kind and helpful to others as you could and should have been? Did you decide, like me, to approach each day happy and smiling? That’s a conscious choice, you know, a choice over which you have absolute control. Your success in this class depended upon it; so will your success in life (did you notice how I used that semicolon?).
It has been an honor and pleasure to be your teacher this year.
Thanks for reading this final assignment, and for being such great kids. I’ll miss you more than you know.
Your class has been the most intriguing class I’ve ever been in, it felt like how I imagine a “classroom” should feel. Thank you for being one of the best teachers I’ve had the pleasure to learn from.
Dear Tanner:
And thank you for being a fine student.
Thank you for making us all better students!
I actually would look forward to going to your class each and every day and for that, thank you. I’m really going to miss it. I don’t care for most things relating to school but your class was an exception. Thank you!
Dear Peyton:
That’s high praise indeed. Thanks!
Thank you Mr. McDaniel for these past two years in your class. I’ve learned so many things and you’ve made me somewhat like English now. I now always tell myself that everyday will be a great day. You’re such a great teacher and you always make me laugh. I’m glad that I had the opportunity to have you for two years. Thank you for not giving up on me.
Dear Destiny:
Give up on you?! Impossible!
Thank you for such a great school year. You have helped me improve tremendously, and now I don’t dislike English as much as I did. You have made this year fun and I appreciate that. Have a good summer!
Dear Cayse:
Well, I’m glad English is a little less horrible for you now :).
I took advantage of most opportunities in the classroom, although i should have worked harder. I paid attention in class and learned a lot. You are an amazing teacher. I started off every day with a smile and with friends by my side. I read more than i did at the begining of the year and understand more now, thank you for helping me be successful.
Dear Isis:
It has been a delight having you in class.
Your class was really fun and you made it alittle bit of a different experience then most teachers and it was a very intellectual school year, I didn’t fail your class because you were a bad teacher, but I failed your class because I messed around all year and actually tried the last 2 six weeks. It was nobody’s fault but my own, nobody to blame but myself. Gonna miss you. Never gonna forget when you would do that ‘act like a dumbfounded idiot impression’ and some other things you would do to make us giggle/laugh. Cya later Mr. Mr. Mcdaniel.
Dear Cody:
Glad to hear it. Apply what you’ve learned; you have the smarts.
Mr. McDaniel,
Thank you for being such a great teacher this year, and helping us grow as students! You taught more than just English, such as becoming more responsible and thinking for ourselves. I appreciate your smile you gave me everyday, and your humor. I hope you have a great summer!
Dear Addy:
And I appreciated your charm and smiling face.
Taking English III as a sophomore has given me the opportunity to work with Mr. McDaniel and learn all the things he had provided for us to study. This class has been more than just English. We have learned about presidents, The Constitution, and our history. We have learned how to write more efficiently and realized the fun in reading. Our “Daily Sayings” have taught us quotes to live by and what the point of some classic quotes are from some of our most famous. I’ve learned how to better my time management and work thoroughly. This year has also brought upon me many challenges that I was forced to push through all by myself. Thank you, Mr. McDaniel, for showing me a broad spectrum of what a classroom can become.
I paid attention every day for the most part. I mean obviously teenagers have days of gloom or rebellion but I would say 98% of the time I payed full attention. I took full advantage of my learning opportunities and did my work that I was given to do and got very decent grades. I could’ve been more kind and helpful to people, whether it’s in this class or just school in general and even out in the real world. I didn’t approach everyday happy and smiling but I’d say for the most part my attitude was pretty positive.
Thank you Mr. McDaniel for being the same teacher everyday and not showing negative emotions towards us like other teachers do because of things that happen in life. I think that’s what makes it so easy to respect you because despite what you could feel like, you treat us the same everyday with a kind heart and loving spirit of wanting us to succeed.
Again thank you so much for being such an inspiring teacher, person and friend to all of us. I really respect that.
Dear Hannah:
Thanks! I was fortunate to have you for two years.
Mr. McDaniel you have taught me so many useful things! You have helped me write a right paper! Haha that rhymed. You have influenced me to use my brain and use bigger and better words! You have also taught me to look deeply into quotes and find the meaning of them. Thank you for helping me to become knowledgable! You rock!
P.S. I am definately coming to you for next year’s reasesrch paper! And I hope I can contact you out of school when I am in college so I can have you look over my papers! You are very helpful and wise and you are worth more than money! You are the best teacher I have ever had! Thank you for everything!
Dear Abigail:
Of course you can get in touch any time. You’re a rare gem.
There were definitely times where I did not pay attention as I should have, because I sometimes forget the value in what’s being taught. I work on paying attention everyday in my life. Saying that, I did not fully take advantage of my learning opportunities, but this year has been an improvement upon other years, my work ethic has improved beyond what I even thought. I have done my best to treat people kindly and approach life with a better attitude but it still is a constant struggle some days. I will work on it. Thank you for a semester of your class it was really great!
Thank you for being a awesome teacher!
Mr. McDaniel, having been in your class for two years I have always appreciated the consistency and quality of teaching you have given us. I had a great time in this class and thanks for being such a great teacher.
To be honest out of all the years of having an English class I could never really understand literature or convey the message of poems and short passages. When you started teaching I kinda didn’t understand anything still; but as the year went on I started to better understand the poems and messages of stories or passages. I also improved on writing essays and writing assignments. I even have one of my critic reviews on your little bored, which is a really big improvement for me. Literally I couldn’t understand anything till your class. I’m so thankful that I have gotten to have you as my English teacher. You might think you haven’t but you’ve done more than enough for me this year. I feel that as I move on I have enough information to get me through the rest of high school with no problems. So thank you for being a great teacher
Dear Kameron:
I just showed you the path and opened a few doors. You did the work. I have no doubt you’ll do well next year and beyond.
No I didn’t pay attention like I should of neither did I try. But I did enjoy the class and I’d have to say I enjoyed your class. In fact it made school bareable and I could say it was my favorite class even though I hate English. I’m gonna miss your class because I’ve made great memeorys and realized learning doesn’t have to be so bland and boring. I will never forget you or the class. Thank you for making school a better place.
Mr. McDaniel, every second in this class has been one I could appreciate. Not necessarily a happy one, but one in which I could find a purpose. Whether the purpose was to have some fun as a kid, learn sumthin in class, or to grow as a person via something losing a classmate and learning to cope and move on, I’ll never forget this year, and how this class always had something great in store for us. Sometimes that something is how to spell: That’s a lesson one should always treasure, because communication is important and how we interact with the society. This is long enough, so I’ll end it here. Many thanks for being my great teacher.
Dear Michael:
So it is with life. It has been my pleasure.
I did my best to put all of my focus into your lessons. I also attempted to take every learning opportunity I could, however; not all of them were met by perfect standards. I tried to to be nice to everyone this year, I hope I was successful in doing this. Every day started with an annoying alarm for me, but a smile was put on my face when I walked into your classroom. You did an amazing job teaching this year and I’m very happy I signed up for your class. You helped me improve my writing and made English class fun. Thank you : )
Dear Kaley:
You did very well indeed, and it was my good fortune to have you in class. Thanks for your kind words.
THANK YOU for a wonderful school year. I couldn’t have asked for a more amazing teacher to have this year. You pushed all of us to be our best and it shows that you care about each of your students. Thanks again for helping us through the school year.
Dear Rhianna:
You are most welcome. I’m so glad to have had the opportunity to have you in class.
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Thank you for all that you’ve done this year. English has always been a class that I’ve dreaded going to, however it didn’t take long for this one to become a highlight of my day. It was able to infuse learning with a sense of fun and adventure that is rarely seen in the classroom nowadays. Thanks again and have a great summer.
I’ll miss you so much Mr. McDaniel!!! Thank you for everything you’ve taught me this year whether it be that I can survive 50 minutes without my phone, or how to write an essay better, or even that Handle’s Messiah is beautiful. I’ll never forget you and all the amazing and bizzar memories I had in your class. I’ve been to a lot of schools and I hope you know that you’re the best teacher I’ve ever had. Not only do you love your job but you’re so amazingly good at doing it. You’ve taught me so many life lessons hidden in state issues curriculum that my life is changed coming out of your class. I must admit I came into this assignment looking for some rad extra credit points but I’m so happy I did because that made me cry and you’re an inspiration to all teachers. Keep doing you Mr. McDaniel because you’re doing it right. By the way my mom loves you. She loves how informed you keep her and she wanted me to tell you she hopes you stay for at least 3 more years so you can teach my little sister. Thanks again and I can’t wait to stop by and see you next year!
Dear Katie:
I’ll miss you as well. Thanks too to your mother, and let her know I’ll be around at least three more years. A chance to teach your sister? I can’t wait!
Thank you for being such an amazing teacher and always brightening my day, you were definitely one for the books. I’ll miss your class and you very much.
Dear mr.mcdaniel
I appreciate you for always taking my late work when it was way over due, also helping me learn the importance of engwish
Dear Walker:
Yur Wecom.