Impact: "I don't remember anything you taught."

Reconnecting

Frank found me at lunch in the staff room, and he brought me a package that had come in the school mail.  I took it and looked at it.  It was a bulging envelope that looked like a child had written the address.  It wasn't ticking but I still went back to my classroom to open it. I'm glad I did.

Inside was an amazing card filled with heartfelt words from Stephanie, a student from over 20 years ago.  There was also a picture of Stephanie and her beautiful family.  The bulging part was this pre-inked stamp that had an impression of my face and my name on it.  I was struck by the time, thought, and work that went into all of this.  I was deeply moved and was glad I opened this in the privacy of my classroom at lunch.  

Luckily, Stephanie had included her email address.  When my students returned to the classroom, I told them about the card and the contents of the envelope.  I told them this could be them in 20 years; I think it was stunning for them to think they will grow up, get jobs, become mommies and daddies, and might still have the wherewithal to write to that weird teacher they had back then.  My grade 2/3 students started asking me questions, and instead of answering them myself, we wrote Stephanie a quick email, thanking her for the package, and asking her their questions.  Steph was great.  Even though she is a busy working parent, she answered the students' questions. 

She and I also sent emails back and forth.  She explained how she found me (I tend to move around, as you know) and that her son in kindergarten had written my name and address on the package .  She also updated me on her life and about students who were in my class the year I taught her.  She still keeps in touch with some of them!  Some were married with and without children. Their travels. There were people in property development, finance, tech, law, a chef, a pilot, etc.  Some are still close friends and were in each others' wedding parties.  It was interesting to see how everyone turned out.  

I remember that year well. It was kind of magical.  They were a really nice bunch of kids who were up for any idea I had. I was returning to elementary after teaching at middle school for a couple of years.  My first year at PWE could have been a disaster. As teachers know, a first year in any school can be rough as you figure out who's who in the zoo.  But this group came together very quickly.  It was like a family.  Sure, we got on each other's nerves and had some tension now and then, but like any family, we knew we were there for each other.  

And that was a straight grade 5 class. Here in my district, students go off to middle school in grade 6, so we just had one year together. No getting to know me as they went from kindergarten to grade 4. I had no history with them, no reputation. No, we had a very definite 10 months to be together.  (Less actually because I was off almost the entire month of February when I had a couple of dental appointments, I caught a bad flu, and then my daughter was born.  My daughter's hospital pictures have excellent pictures of me red-nosed and missing my front teeth.)  For a while, I kept in touch with that class through Facebook and we even had a couple of reunions. 

What we remember 

The part that I want to share with you here is the part when Stephanie wrote about what she remembers that I taught her: nothing.

She checked with her friend, Katbie, who was also in that class and she said the same: nothing.  "We honestly don't really remember what we learned..."

Interesting, I recently received an email from Jason who I taught a few years later than Stephanie but at the same school, and without prompting, he wrote, "To be honest, I have no idea what you taught us..."

Now, you might might think as a teacher, this would be horribly, horribly depressing to hear that my students remember nothing from what I taught them, but I think what my former students write is an important message for us teachers to hear: the part that stays with our students is not WHAT we teach them, but it is HOW THEY FELT while they were learning that has the lasting impact.  

Steph and Katbie did not remember the "big things" I taught. They do mentioned some of the one-off or time-filling activities that I put so little thought into. The rest of the quotes from above are: "We honestly don't really remember what we learned ... but we definitely remember all the fun we had when we here learning," and Jason's "To be honest, I have no idea what you taught us...but I recall clearly the way you treated us."

We teachers put so much time and energy into the details.  We sweat over the littlest things.  Of course we are paid to teach content.  Of course we are trained to teach skills and concepts.  But if we want long-term, lasting effects, these former students can testify that it is all about the feelings and relationships that we nurture within them that will have the most IMPACT.  Even at this late stage in my teaching, I am grateful for this reminder and lesson from my former students.   

Thank you, my friends.  

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Classroom Design postscript

When I taught Stephanie, Katbie, and Jason, I was not really thinking at the front of my mind about classroom design, but back then I was thinking about what conditions I needed to teach the way I wanted to teach. Steph sent me photos from the year I taught her, and it is funny: in none of them are the students all sitting in their desks, and in none of them am I standing at the front of the classroom.  I guess even then, furniture was a fluid thing.  Heck, back then I was more of a fluid thing.  I was starting to think back then: "What do I want my classroom to do?" and "What do I want my classroom to say?"

Here is one of the photos that Stephanie sent:

Apparently, I decided to hold a volleyball game in the classroom.  

What do I like here?

• I like how young I look and how black my hair is.
• I like seeing all those familiar faces.
• About design, Greg?  Oh, right.
• Desks are in different configurations for different kinds of purposes.  
• Some wood-natural elements.
• High ceiling with lots of light.
• The pull down map (remember those?) was really used as a pull down screen for my overhead projector (remember those?)
• No teacher desk in sight.
• Carpet was quiet and comfortable, and only being a few years old, did not smell. 
• The hanging vitruvian man-like (dudes in a circle) art.  I should do that again.  

Things I would change:

• Design?
• Visual distraction: take down the posters. They were bright, distracting, cluttery, and I never referred to them.  Just visual noise.  
• Yikes!  Is that a CHALK board?!
• Tall, open shelving.  See above about visual distraction.
• Desks? No, back then, it was really the only game in town.
• Maybe create different zones for different activities?  Tough with 28+ students in a late 90s classroom.  
• The suspenders.  They gave me shoulder pain, though they did keep my pants up when I did not have a paunch. Yet.