Feeling Better Today

I'm feeling better today. I've received a lot of encouragement from family and friends this week and it has made a HUGE difference, so thank you.

Ben has been so supportive and has helped me in countless ways. He really takes very good care of me.

Yesterday was the end of the term at school, and with that comes the stress of dealing with students who procrastinate and give me huge stacks of late work and then continue to constantly harass me about when I will have their grades finished and the fact that they have to pass my class. With the multiple experiences I had with catching cheaters in the last two weeks, the whole ordeal is extremely unpleasant and sometimes makes me very cranky.

However, I got a letter from a mom yesterday that came at the perfect time and reminded me of why I do what I do: (I've changed the student's name here)

Ms. Henry,
John is so thrilled that he got a 100% on his math test. But I want to tell you what he said about it. It was the first thing he told me when I got home from work yesterday. He even told me that he texted his dad after class when he found out. (His dad has helped him for years after school with his math, so they are especially bonded over math scores.) I told John that his score was fabulous and I was happy for him. He said, "Ms. Henry is the first teacher that has taught me what I need to know to get a 100 on a math test." He is giving you the credit for teaching him in a way that helped him get the score he wanted. He has been in advanced math for years, and has tried to get the ever elusive 100% many times. Thank you for giving him the knowledge and skills to test well.

You might remember that previously he was not getting the scores he wanted and had to do test corrections all of the time. He simply had not realized (even though he had been told) that not showing his work in math usually meant incorrect answers. After all of the test corrections and having an opportunity to see what he did wrong and trying to fix it, he seems to be improving in his understanding of math and tests. I see the wisdom behind the test corrections even though it creates more work for you. Thank you for helping John progress.

I must add that my husband has not had to help him with math this year for a couple months. Thank you for teaching your students what they need to know to do their homework, too.

Thanks again,