Dear 10th Graders,
First of all, I’d like to
congratulate you all for exerting the best of your efforts during the First
Quarter. I know that, for most of you, the recently concluded grading period
was a battle that you fought for. I am fully aware of the struggles that you
went through and I would like to let you know that I did my best to come to
blows and win the fight with you in meeting the expectations set by your
parents, the school, your teachers
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| Image from www.centerononlinelearning.org |
We started the quarter with a
lesson on functions which, for some of you, was an alien term that was trying
to invade your teenage imagination. Yet, I am glad that many of you still
embraced the lesson with enthusiasm and optimism that you will eventually get
through the entire chapter fully understanding what this mathematical term is
all about. I was happy to see you climbing one stair at a time understanding
the mathematical concepts and mastering the mathematical operations involved.
Although you had a bit of difficulty figuring out the range and domain of a
function, you were able to prove among yourselves that there are always ways in
getting the correct answer and coming up with the correct solution. Finally,
you were able to determine the graph of functions in general and you were ready
to proceed to the simplest form of functions, which is, linear function.
I know. I do fully know that
another set of challenges blew your minds as we ventured for first degree
functions. There, we encountered slopes, intercepts as we tackled the graphs of
linear functions. You learned about the applications of linear functions in the
real world and started to apply the knowledge you’ve gained to a more useful
real-life situation. The output that I asked from you might be more dreadful
than what you have expected but I did it not do it to give you more burdens but
to let you learn better in a more engaging and evidenced-based way. I know that
some of you thought that you couldn’t do it but, once and for all, you have
proven to yourselves that you are more capable than what you have imagined. Those moments when you told me that I
was wrong. Those moments when you asked me why a positive number became
negative. Those moments when you expressed your expectations for me – I value
all those moments. Those moments reminded me that there is an individual within
you that is hungry for knowledge and is waiting for explanations. Those moments
reminded me that you are all capable of learning at a certain point and at a
certain time given the support that you need. Please continue to let me know
what your expectations and frustrations are for I am here to respond to those
and not act against those expectations and frustrations.
I encourage you to play with
your imagination and go back to the time when you first stepped the welcoming
doors of your first schools. I know you felt excited to learn something new and
meet new friends. You entrusted yourselves to your teachers and gave your full
admiration to them for teaching you the things you never learned before. Back
then, you did not let the lessons you had define yourselves but you defined
every lesson you encountered the way you see it and the way you see the world.
You were not worried about your grades and about you learning too much. All you
had to do was grab every learning opportunity and be happy about yourselves. In
the end, you learned a lot and gained new perspectives of the world you live
in. Apparently, you all made it to high school without much of a thought on
what the world would think about you and what your grades would look like.
Then you grew older and started
to define the world not as how you see it but as how other people see it too. You
became so worried about your grades more than your own learning that you
started to think of strategies to get through the system. There were times
wherein you thought of using tactics that would even compromise your long-term
benefits and, worse, your values. You became more concerned about what your
friends would think about you rather than what you think about yourselves.
As you embark another journey
of your last year in high school, I hope that you will not forget to revisit the
goals that you have set for yourselves. I hope that you will not forget the
very reason you have had for coming to school. I hope that you will not waste
the last year of your high school by failing the expectations of your parents
who work harder than what they could probably do just to provide your needs
including the best education that you could ever have. Of course, do not forget
to have fun. As much as I would like to see you seriously taking your learning,
I would also like to see you making the best out of your last year in high
school. After all, you only get into this stage but once.
We’ve been together in this
institution for less than two months but, honestly, I am very happy that I
became part of this academic institute and your life as a learner. We have
three more quarters to work on before you will finally say goodbye to your
school and I am hoping that this will be one of your best years in this
institution. I am looking forward to a more fruitful knowledge exchange with
you. I would like to reassure you that I am going to do my best to end the game
hitting our class goal: SUCCESS for EVERYONE. However, I can only be as good as
your frequent feedback. Tell me what works for you and we will work on it
together.
Sincerely,
Teacher Phil
