Tag Archives: leadership

Dear Ethan and Christian

Posted on by under education, photography

education, photography

Dear Ethan and Christian,

I have a new vocabulary word for you:

Empathy – the ability to understand and share the feelings of another

Today you two showed empathy when you noticed that I was stressed and frustrated at lunch. While nearly every other 6th grade student continued being rowdy and silly when I asked them to enter the cafeteria silently, you two thought about what it must feel like to be me, and you invited me to eat lunch at your table.

Ethan, I’ll never forget your quip:

“Well, about all we can do is pray!”

Amen to that.

And Christian, thank you for offering me a French fry while taking my mind off the craziness of the cafeteria by yammering about the latest movies you’ve seen.

You two are the coolest. Thanks for reminding me of what kindness looks like.

All my love,

-Ms. Jackson

Dear Alberto

Posted on by under education, photography

education, photography

Dear Alberto,

You lost my trust today. From now on, you will stand at the front of the line and Julian will stand in the middle. Neither of you will be at the end of the line, and the two of you will not stand next to each other. Do I make myself clear?

You need to know what I heard and saw, so you can grasp how serious this is. I know that you have your side of the story as well, and I will hear it, but first you need to understand what I observed.

I gave clear directions for the class to line up silently by the door. The 33 students at the front of the line followed my directions, and we all transitioned into the hallway. As we stood outside of Mrs. Titus’ room, one of your classmates ran up to me, breathless.

“Ms. Jackson! Alberto and Julian snuck out of the line! They’re fighting in your classroom!”

As I ran into the room, I saw Julian slumped against the window, with his hands shielding his face. You raised your binder over your head and slammed it onto his hands and face as I yelled, “Stop!”

I had to literally stand in front of Julian to get you two to stop throwing punches. Alberto, you are twice as tall as Julian. You are much stronger, and you used your binder as a weapon.

I am responsible for the 35 young adults in your class, and you two decided to jeopardize your safety and the safety of every other student in my care by foolishly picking a fight in my classroom during the passing period.

It is clear that within the four walls of our school, you feel safe enough to pick a fight. You are bigger and stronger than most boys your age. You feel invincible.

What happens when you pick a fight at Deer Path Park? Or on Illinois Avenue when you’re walking home?

What happens when you look the wrong way at the wrong guys at a stoplight? Ask Keenan. That’s how his brother was shot and killed, less than a mile away at the Jack-in-the-Box on Kiest.

I’m sick of the needless violence. You have to learn now how to channel your emotions without swinging your fists.

You are going to serve your In-School Suspension with the 8th grade tomorrow. By the end of the day, I expect a written apology to Julian, and a written reflection to me, explaining what happened, why it was wrong and what you will do differently next time.

I care too much about you to let you go down this path.

All my love,

-Ms. Jackson

Dear Keenan

Posted on by under education, photography

education, photography

Dear Keenan,

When you pretend to be what you are not, you become what you pretend to be. You are not a kid who doesn’t care about school. Unfortunately, when you played around on the reading diagnostic, you earned a score so low that you qualified for the Read 180 program. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great program, but you don’t need it.

In your attempt to convince your classmates that you’re cool, you took the easy route: playing dumb. Because of this, you will continue to attend Read 180 instead of staying in my classroom for morning advisory with the boys you are so eager to impress. Shaun tried his best on that reading diagnostic, and he scored above grade level. That’s not just cool, that’s admirable. He’s a leader for the right reasons. You could be too.

This program will reassess your reading level as you take weekly tests. I am challenging you to beat Shaun’s reading level by January. I dare you to be the best reader and leader the 6th grade has seen this year.

All my love,

-Ms. Jackson

P.S. – you should check out Walter Dean Myers. He has several books that I think you would enjoy reading. Start with Scorpions, and if you like it, try Monster next. Both books are in my classroom library.

Dear Consuelo

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education, photography

Dear Consuelo,

On October 22 of my first year of teaching, I bandaged blisters on both of my heels after a long day of school. Physical injuries don’t last as long as sores on your soul, though, do they? When I think back to this day, I know that I would do it all over again for you if it would help your heart mend.

Making copies in the front office, I glanced out the window. Coach was instructing the class to run laps for the last 5 minutes of P.E. on the basketball court.

9:11 a.m.: I noticed an unusual amount of attention on you. Alex was red-faced, and I could even hear his voice inside.

“Come on, Consuelo!”

Concerned and curious, I finished my copies and walked outside.

“Again!” Coach bellowed and blew the whistle.

Each of your teammates started sprinting around the basketball court, except you.

Colin screamed, “Run, Consuelo, run!”

“What wrong with you, girl?” Jada yelled from across the court.

9:12 a.m.: Coach checked his watch. Mia was the last to stumble to Coach at the end of the court. You were still standing with your back against the chain link fence.

“We are one team and one family. We will run again until every single teammate runs a lap in less than 60 seconds.” Coach blew the whistle again.

Chaos swelled to a feverish pitch. I actually thought a few of the boys were going to post up and come after you. Suddenly, I found myself at your side. The tears in your eyes splashed onto my red wedges.

“Oh Miss, I’m sorry –”

“Consuelo, if I run this lap, will you run with me?”

I was nervous, unsure if you would move, and worried that Coach would make your class run until a fight broke out.

“We have 41 seconds left. Will you run with me? I don’t want to run by myself!” – I said.

Your eyes widened, looking at my shoes, my pencil skirt, and the clipboard in my hand.

“39 seconds. Let’s do this! Together.”

Yes, I know my hair looked “nappy” the rest of the day (thanks to J.J. for that description) and my outfit was a little wrinkled. But seeing you smile, just a little, through those tears and watching you work up the courage to jog alongside me made it absolutely worth it.

Now here we are, one year later, and you are still running endless laps surrounded by the agitated taunts of a new class of 11 and 12 year-olds. Where has your stubborn spirit taken you, Consuelo? You are still on that basketball court, only you’re 13 now, the oldest in the 6th grade. You cannot afford to drag your feet and refuse to work anymore. You did not perform academically last year, piddling with your schoolwork, and devastatingly, you failed every class.

When we divided up rosters this year, I requested you in my homeroom. We’re running this lap together, you and I, sixth grade, round two. This year, we’re going to run for the feel of the wind and the joy of hard work bursting in our lungs.

Right next to you every step of the way.

All my love,

-Ms. Jackson

Dear Michael

Posted on by under education, photography

education, photography, reading

Dear Michael,

You need to believe with every fiber of your being that you are an intelligent young man. I know that reading is a challenge for you, but that certainly doesn’t mean that you are “dumb” or “stupid.”

When I look at you – finger to the text, training your eyes and your mind to sound out the words you don’t yet know how to pronounce – I picture Jonas from The Giver. You have this ability to see beyond the words on the page. In some ways you’re limited by years of neglect from teachers who have passed you along without equipping you with the reading skills you need. And yet, every day I watch as you push yourself to overcome these limitations, gleaning the information you need to be successful from listening, observing, and applying your life experience to class.

Your comment in class today is a great example of your intelligence and thoughtfulness.

Me: “What makes Kira different from the other people in her village?”

You: “Hey Miss, could we say ‘unique’ instead of ‘different’? Different sounds negative to me, and Kira isn’t different in a bad way, you know? I mean she’s crippled, but she’s unique in good ways too, right?”

It’s not often a student who is reading on a 2nd grade level thoughtfully critiques a question I pose in class. You are a leader in my classroom, though I don’t think you see yourself that way.

When I call on you to read aloud in front of the class, I see you cringe with dread. But I also see Jerome, Lamar and Romone sit up straight in their desks and retrain their eyes on the story when you begin to read. Your courage inspires other hesitant readers to participate. The students in this classroom admire you. They want to do what you do.

Thank you for your leadership and your bravery. With perseverance and grit, reading will get easier. You will learn to read comfortably and fluently this year as long as you don’t give up on yourself and on the work I am giving you.

All my love,

-Ms. Jackson