Dear students,
Thank you for being you! I appreciate each and every one of you for being the awesome people that you are.
To those of you who say “Good morning” to me when you arrive in class (whether by voice or in the chat), thank you for doing that—it makes me smile and helps put me in a good mood to start class. To those of you who prefer to just arrive without calling attention to yourself, thank you for being there—just seeing your name in my virtual classroom shows me that you care about being there, doing as well as you can, and contributing what you can.
To those who help solve problems on the shared whiteboard, in the chat or out loud, even if you’re not sure if what you’re doing is correct, thank you. It helps move the class along, but more importantly it helps me see what to focus on, and helps your classmates see how the problems work, especially when you make the same mistake that they just made as they follow along.
To those of you who struggle to just make it to class, thank you. Thank you for trying your best. Always remember that no one can ever ask you to do more than your best—if they do, it’s because they don’t understand what “best” means. I appreciate you on days when you are able to be there, and on days when you’re absent I wish you were there.
To those of you who struggle to turn in homework on time, or struggle to turn it in at all, thank you. I get how hard you’re trying, whether or not it leaves a record. I’m proud of you for continuing to try, even when it doesn’t feel like it’s making a difference. Believe me, it does make a difference to me.
To those of you who have reached out to me for help, support, or just a kind word, thank you—I became a teacher to help people. I’m always happy to help, and I appreciate it when you’re able to let me in, even though it feels awkward at first. To those of you who want to reach out but are too anxious, too shy, or just worried that it might be too much of a bother, thank you for even thinking about it. While I do hope that one day you will find the courage to take that step, I appreciate you just for thinking about it. If that’s as far as we ever get, but it makes you a little better able to reach out to someone else in the future, I’m proud of you for starting down the path. Even the smallest bit of progress is still progress.
To those of you who are reading this and thinking, “None of this applies to me,” thank you too. You matter every bit as much, whether or not we’ve ever talked or connected. If we do get a chance to connect sometime in the future (and I hope we will), I know there will be something about that interaction that will make me feel glad that it happened, glad that your life got a chance to take center stage, whether it be for a few seconds or many years.
I really mean it when I say in class, “I love each and every one of you!”
Happy Thanksgiving.
Mr. Bigler
