At the end of every year, I select five students who I have had a profound connection to and give them a copy of Letters To A Young Poet by Rilke. I know the book is over most of their heads, as I usually teach Middle School; I didn’t discover the book myself until I was well into my twenties, but there is something about the simple passages that I feel resonate with the big ideas I try to convey in my classes. If you are not familiar with the book, here is what Wikipedia has to say:
The letters were originally written to Franz Kappus, a 19-year-old student at the Military Academy of Vienna, of which Rilke was an alumnus. Discouraged by the prospect of military life, Kappus began to send his poetry to the 27-year-old Rilke, seeking both literary criticism and career advice. Their correspondence lasted from 1902 to 1908. In 1929, three years after Rilke’s death, Kappus assembled and published the ten letters.
I share this book with the five kids who have shown some appreciation for art, learning, and living life to the fullest. They are not necessarily the “best” students or the most academically successful, but they get “it.” I think it takes a special person to understand passages like this:
“Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books written in a foreign language. Do not now look for the answers. They cannot now be given to you because you could not live them. It is a question of experiencing everything. At present you need to live the question. Perhaps you will gradually, without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day.”
I woke up today to a very pleasant email. One of the students who received a book from me last year was James. James is an interesting story. Let’s just say he had/has a difficult time being a “good” student. He reads well beyond his grade level and can contribute some of the most insightful ideas I have ever heard at his age in class discussions, but ask him to sit still, write something down, work on one thing for a long period of time, or to simply calm down-forget about it. He is all over the place, off the wall; if you are into letter clarifications he probably has a few A’s, D’s and H’s somewhere in his file.
At the beginning of last year, I saw something in James. I saw that he was smart, curious, and hungry to learn. His problem was that school was not the place where he could do these things. I knew instantly that his inability to play the school game would be a challenge for him and his teachers. I sat him down early and talked to him about what the year might look like.
Throughout the year James would come into my room to chat during break, we sometimes had lunch; he would tell me personal details about his life and what he was thinking. In short, we built a relationship based on trust and respect.
I was open, honest and frank when it came to my frustrations when he got in a fight over a girl, but I also commended him on getting the lead in the school play. James had a fantastic year in my class. But what did that mean?
Did he score well on assessments? Not really, he continued to skate by with mediocre work. Did he learn a list of skills and new knowledge? Maybe, but nothing compared to how some of his peers performed throughout the year. So how I can I claim he had a great year? Because he went from being a socially awkward seventh grader who couldn’t care less about school or grades to a person who wrote me this:
Hi Sir,
First week of school is done and i am ready to go on holiday. You know that book that you gave me last year i have fingered out what “it” is. Well to start “it” is different in every person. So “it” is the driving force of life your soul your DNA the molecules the seed that starts your life. “it” is with you your whole life even after and before life. You will never find out what “it” is. “it” can hide itself in you forever in your body. But “it” will be somewhere so simple you will just look over it. Now i know that this is a very simple description but i am going to find where “it” is and what “it” is and tell you cause i see this as a mission, a mission that i will complete whatever it takes. this is cause i want to know i want the world to know. And most of all cause you gave me the idea and i am thankful to every thing that you gave me last year and will give me in later on in my life.
Buy for now hope to hear from you soon.
You may be asking yourself, who this kid’s English teacher was. Sure the paragraph could use some love and editing. Yes it would score very low on a rubric, but my point is that sometimes school should be a place to ignite the lingering passion in young people. So many times we extinguish every ounce of excitement these kids have with our curriculum and assessments and grades, when all they really want is for someone to listen to them, respect who they are, and help them find “it.”
I have shared this post with James, and want to ask him at this time- if you are here and reading James, let me say thank you. I am so glad that you are here and alive and connected and curious and searching. That was the whole point of the book, my class, my life. Life is beautiful and perfect and always looking for people like you to join and move the parade forward. Please remember that, I am an email or a blog post away. Let me know how else I can help you. The classroom is not the only place we can learn from each other; we have the whole world. Have a great year and keep in touch. How is our garden doing by the way? You may need to start a new plot! Do it now before it gets too hot. There is interest, but ideas need leaders, and there is no reason why that can’t be you.
I already commented on the Facebook message – but I wanted to post a comment here too.
I’m definitely going to go to the nearest BORDERS or even DYMOCKS and search for the book. (:
I would rather my students be Don Quixote than Sancho Panza, after all they are the music makers and the dreamers of dreams. Nice Post.
A friend sent this comment as an email, and said I could post here:
Having read your words surrounding the blog it’s the reason why we connected. We can see the potential and the beauty in the ‘naughty’ boys.
We see them for what they are, beyond the uniforms, the conformity and the
social ‘norms’ whatever they are deemed to be. We can see the intelligence,
creativity and goodness. Hey and we can see a bit of the badness but channel
that energy in another direction and watch what grows in the garden or trundles
down the catwalk. Every single person has the potential to be something and has a
meaning and purpose in life. Unfortunately schools and people in education don’t
always believe that and focus on assessment grades and academic attainment. Often
even making the intelligent child compete with his/her inner self and giving them
discontentment.
Hi Sir,
Hear is the first comment on the blog.
Just read you r blog post it was very touching. There is so much to talk about but that is good because we have a lot of time. Well I will start with so disappointing news. We (the school (compass)) have had to move. Now for some good news I think one of our teachers is going to set up a gardening club and if that does not happen then I will try.
Now, the blog was touching. This is because it showed to me that you get me. I am not meant to sit and listen to a teacher talk to a class of students falling asleep. First of all because I don’t sleep much and secondly cause I have to move. (I am stuck now I am reading the blog for help.) You’re the first teacher that I have ever known that realizes I am different and I can’t learn and do things like most kids. I don’t know if this is a good or bad thing but I feel that if I keep thinking positive that someday my purpose in life will hit me in the face. I think that in the end whatever I do none of it will mater if I have got the wrong attitude about things. I am learning that right now like in French I have to do my share of the work not just for me but for my class mates, the teacher and my family.
I don’t know but you might have heard of a man called “Lance Armstrong.” The title of the book is called “It’s not about the bike.” In my eyes this means if you don’t have the right attitude you’re not going to get anywhere you will stay at the start line. The seed will not grow. This is what I will believe in my whole life. As my Uncle says there are no excuses.
This is another one of my sayings: “There is no excuse for not having the right attitude. You can do anything all you have to do is think positive and believe that you can do it.”
When I told you I would right that book I did not believe I just thought. Now I believe that I can do my dream. Lance Armstrong was like me as a kid did everything fast did not get the best grades at school, was a bit of a nut case but look where he is now. When I started to read his book it was just some thing to read. But as I kept on reading I realized how much we were the same. His dream was to finish the Tour De France and he did so I think if he can do it I can. But I am going to push it I am going to win it not the first time I do it but I am going to win it. And this will be what keeps me going: “There is no excuse for not having the right attitude. You can do anything all you have to do is think positive and believe that you can do it.”
After I have fulfilled my dream that is when I will calm down. Even if that means I die being I nut case I will do it. This time I believe that I can do it.
Sir if I do not fulfill my dream that is when you can say I am lying and that I am a waste of time. That is when you can tell people that there was no point of me being alive. But sir everyone is born with a reason for living and this is mine.
To an old teacher and new friend.
Jabiz Raisdana
James,
Thank you for inspiring me at a time when I need some mentoring….. wise words.
I have a little plaque in my bathroom in the UK it says “Live the life you Imagine” It serves as a little reminder that whatever happens that’s what I should aim for. Continue to be who you are. As Mr R would say your doing a great job! 🙂
From another friend who helped you make a kilt for a fashion show and who kind of got you too, even when you called her ‘bonkers’ at times…. but hey I think you also said in a good way!
Take care,
🙂
Great idea! Thank you very much for sharing this… 🙂
I found this post inspiring. My son is like this boy except that he has very low self-esteem. We tried a lot of things to make him understand the importance of doing well at school. Yet, is this the ultimate goal? Do we really understand him and ignite in him a self-worth that will carry him through his schooling career and the rest of his life? In South Africa I don’t think we understand education in the broadest context, only shoveling schooling down the learners throats to earn results, results and more results. Yet, they don’t understand how to live better and happier. School has become this boring, foreign thing. Education is broader, much broader than schooling. We learn much more outside of school than in school in any case.
Thanks for a great post and I hope James every success in whatever he pursues.
James and Jabiz…. a beautiful story to start the day.
that’s what it’s all about.
grazie.
I hope you won’t mind if I use this post as an activity for a teacher PD session. It sums up for me the real reasons for being a teacher – caring about individuals and not trying to make everyone fit into categories. Thank you for sharing this idea. The best thing I’ve read for some time.
Jan
By all means please do.
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