Goodreads Bookshelf
A Prose Ode to Facebook and Former Students
I must admit, for a long time I was rather skeptical about Facebook. It seemed like a kid thing (and, well, I suppose it is, but not just that), so I figured I'd leave it to the kids. Facebook, however, helped make my recent birthday a really nice one, as I heard from many people who probably wouldn't have remembered my birthday if it didn't show up in their Facebook "newsfeed."
Facebook came through again, as I got a wonderful note from a former student. He said: "i remember reading ode on a grecian urn in your class way back in the day now i love john keats so much." While I might wish that he'd learned proper capitalization from me, I couldn't be more thrilled that Keats, of all things, actually stuck.
Keats, of course, is one of my favorite poets. I'd quite forgotten that I had them (my last AP Language and Composition class) read some of his poetry, though of course that was the grade level at which they did British literature. Keats, for those of you who aren't familiar with his work, is not necessarily the most accessible of nineteenth-century British poets, as he's both allusive and elusive, but he is a poet concerned with some of the essential questions of human existence, and a poet who rewards repeated engagement.
In short, he's exactly the sort of poet that 11th graders may grumble about having to read, but who can grow on them if given the chance.
As teachers, we generally have little idea of what "sticks" for our students. They may or may not appreciate in June what you've been doing for the previous nine months, but the most meaningful measure of a teacher, I suspect, is whether what you did is appreciated years later, but we so seldom learn whether they found it to be so or not, because they've moved on.
At any rate, I'm quite pleased to have gotten this note--it made my day.
For this student and for April as national poetry month, I would direct your attention to "Ode on a Grecian Urn" by John Keats (note that the quotation marks in the last stanza are, in other editions, placed differently, leading to a considerable multiplication of the debate over the meaning of these lines).
One of the most deeply satisfying events, I believe, is for a teacher to
hear from a former student and to receive feedback such as yours. You as a
teacher spend so much time and care and energy with an unfinished product
and so ofen you wonder if you ever made a difference, had an impact. It's
a great feeling to learn that you did. Congrats! I know you're a
wonderful teacher and I hope more of your students contact you. Suddenly
it's all worthwhile--reading papers, submitting grades, all of it.