I love teaching AP English because it's hard in a good way. The course itself challenges me to think as a writer, the novels we read are so thick and rich (and chocolatey), and the kids who take AP are almost always bright, interesting, and easy to teach because they're good at playing the game of school. They know how to listen and nod when their teachers say smart-sounding things, they are nice to each other, and they are very, very good at having bullshit discussions about literature they haven't actually read. I know this. I've had some great, brilliant classes, some funny classes, some just really nice classes, and some not-incredibly-exciting classes, but I've enjoyed teaching them all. So what's different about this year?
Imagine that you've had one of the worst years of your life. Not only have you witnessed the decline and death of your colleague, but you've also felt responsible for making sure everyone around you is ok. You got in a car accident, and had an emergency root canal, and both your dog and your brother-law had seizures. Also, you had a teacher quit on the first day of school, your whole family had strep throat twice, and your friend's baby was premature. There was an earthquake/tsunami/nuclear meltdown in the place of your birth, where a bunch of your family members still live. This year has been the kind of stressful that makes you laugh hysterically at inappropriate times and question what you could possibly have done to create this karmic whirlpool of freaky terribleness.
Now imagine that also during this year, almost every day, you get to be in a place where people laugh and listen to each other and get all excited about things you love - like books, writing, words -- and not only do you get to hang out there for a solid 55 minutes (except on D day), but it's your job! You get paid to do this! Can you imagine how lucky you would feel?
A combination of horrible circumstances and amazing people has helped me learn and grow in a startling way this year. The crucible of this year -- the heat and the blackness that often seemed to surround me -- has melted away some of the old beliefs I had about life and what is most important. I've seen in this room, that just sitting and listening is the most important part of education. That when we get to know each other in real, authentic ways, we really, really like each other. Sometimes it's good to just close the door for a little while and be in the presence of other kind people. That good conversations make us better writers.
I could go on and on. This has been a year of lessons for me, and I'm looking forward to some downtime this summer so I can reflect on what has happened. But I wanted you to know the significance of your part in my life story. There will be many times in your lives when you wonder what your purpose is or if you even matter. I hope that you can have a fleeting memory of 11th grade English, 2011, and realize that you gave me a gift, just by coming here everyday and being your real selves, that has affected everything that I will do from now on. Thank you Yi, Jessie, Tori, Lindsay with an a, Emily, Jack, Michaela, Hayley, Alycia, Hasher, Alan, Megan, David, Riley, Taylor, Jess, Julie, Amanda, Lindsey with an e, Davana, Rebecca, Carla, and Kevin. Thank you for being the kind of individuals and the kind of people who make me hopeful for the future. If this was Glee, I would now take out a guitar and sing an inspirational song, and you would,all join in, and then the credits would roll. But this is real life, so now we will discuss The Old Man and the Sea instead.
