Halfway through the semester, I decided my students needed a reality check. I passed out note cards, instructed my students to write a note to someone in their lives that made a difference, address and seal the card, and then return the notes to me to mail. I affixed the postage and dropped 40 notes in the mail. Unknown to my students, this was an exercise in appreciating the chance they have to attend college. Unknown to me, was the realization that the feedback my students shared would reduce me to tears and give me the gift of a teacher’s most treasured moment, “The aha moment.”
I teach communication. I teach my students how to develop the skills they have, how to think broader and deeper. I hope that in the end I have inspired my students to communicate with greater meaning, clarity, empathy, and compassion. I’m new to this and learn more every day I enter the classroom. After three years you would figure I am experienced, however, I still consider the classroom part of my education. I believe we learn from everything around us; our experiences, our work, our family, and friends. There is no bottom to this well.
What happened in the classroom that day? I had my first aha moment a couple of years ago and never expected to have the gift of another. My mentor, teacher, and inspiration Dr. D., told me it was just the first of many. I could never imagine that we had more or that they got better. The first left me in awe for many days, this one, well, seeing the joy on the faces of my students is something I am glad I had the chance to experience.
You see, the students received calls from tearful parents who expressed how much the note meant to them. They talked to their fathers, their mothers, their grandparents and for however short or long, these students had a connection with parents they left behind when they came to college. But, it wasn’t just the parents response that evoked the emotions and aha moment in my life. It was the expressions on the face of my students. Unprovoked, the students were excited to share their story and couldn’t wait to tell everyone about it. They knew the impact that these notes had on their loved ones and it made them feel good. It was giving a piece of self that they did not know they could.
Before I started the assignment I asked them how many had written or received a hand written note over the past year. I believe the count was 2-3. I teach communication, how individuals can better communicate, express self, and understand the messages others send. On day one, I tell them that each and every day of our life, each and every word we speak, impacts and make a difference in the lives of others. How do you want to impact the life of someone you know or someone you don’t know?
I did thank Dr. D. this summer. She shared something with me that I try to emulate every day. It is important to teach, but what about inspiration? And those are words that echo every time I stand in front of my class. While I hope to inspire my students, I believe it is my students that inspire me.
