The Power of a Teacher Note

Those awkward and sometimes distressing days of junior high are never too far from my mind, especially since I am now a middle school teacher and can sometimes see the same struggles I had being played out again in the halls of my school.

Throughout all of this I will always remember the kindness shown to me by my Journalism teacher Ms. Maurer.  After a series of highly regarded movie reviews penned by me for our school newspaper, The Bunkhouse News, including a stirring tribute to the beauty and grace of Dirty Dancing, Ms. Maurer promoted me to editor in chief during the fall of 1988.

I remember working like a dog on that issue, sometimes letting my other subjects slip due to my sheer devotion to the press.  I was never the popular kid in school and sadly suffered a fair amount of abuse, being constantly referred to as "queer" through the hallways because of my lackluster sports skills.  My fawning over Patrick Swayze in my Dirty Dancing review probably didn't help much either.  Regardless, I had some major self esteem issues and the promotion at the hands of Ms. Maurer served as a much needed boost.

Soon before going to press, Ms. Maurer came up to me after an assembly smiling and holding a note.  I will never forget how she simply walked up the bleachers and handed me the note without saying a word and walked away.  This was the first time I had ever been given a note by a teacher and at the time I thought I was being fired from the newspaper.  The note was a simple and sincere thank you for having done a great job on the fall edition of the newspaper.  I was a little stunned by it and read it multiple times throughout the day, each time swelling with pride that someone had noticed and took the time to acknowledge it.

It has been over 25 years and I still have the note proudly framed and hanging up in my house during the summer and in my classroom during the school year.  It reminds me of the power of words, not just spoken words, but also written. 

It has been a goal of mine to do the same for my own students through the years.  Admittedly, I have not as been consistent as I would like to be but each new school year presents us with a new opportunity.  I know that writing an email is simply easier, but I always choose to to go old school and give out a handwritten note sealed with wax.  Hey, it's all about presentation too!

I wish I could find Ms. Maurer and tell her what that note still means to me.  I have attempted to find her through the years with no luck.  Perhaps one day she will stumble across this blog, so Leslie Maurer, if you are out there, thanks for the continued boost and inspiration!