I ended my year and sent off my new teachers into the wide world of education. Fingers crossed. Lots to relate about my year pontificating and sharing, nurturing, cheerleading teachers to be, to be reflective about education and schooling.

Here though, I’d like to share how successful my “Project Zander” was. Read about this activity that I did my second week of teaching last Sept. Students write letters to themselves about their goals for the year and how they will see themselves at the end of the class. Then, they address them and stamp them. They are forgotten about and then sent after graduation/class end.

Today, I got my own letter that I wrote to myself then. Wonderful! Also got many emails from my students (no letters 🙂 ) on how excited they were about their letters to self and how helpful it was.

Take a look at my previous post and if you ever get the chance – “do a Zander”!

This poem from the immortal Irving Layton – sums it all up and I shared this with departing students.

There Were No Signs

By walking I found out
Where I was going.

By intensely hating, how to love.
By loving, whom and what to love.

By grieving, how to laugh from the belly.

Out of infirmity, I have built strength.
Out of untruth, truth.

From hypocrisy, I wove directness.

Almost now I know who I am.
Almost I have the boldness to be that man.

Another step
And I shall be where I started from.