Why am I writing this personal entry? Well, it is not an attempt to gain any sympathy. It attempts to show what is possible if a clear intention and goal serve the learner's needs. In May of 2022 just near the end of another fantastic school year, I do not remember what happened. But, I was unable to finish the school year and was unable to teach the following year. Why? On May 21st, 2022, I fell down a flight of 16 stairs (luckily carpeted) from the 2nd to 1st story of our home. I was found at the bottom of the stairs. I was found foaming at the mouth. This would lead to a 2-month hospital stay which included an induced coma because my seizures would not stop, several rounds of lumbar punctures, and relearning basic physical movements like something as simple as being able to roll in the hospital bed. Simply put, when I was admitted to the hospital, I was diagnosed as being “critically ill.” Please take a moment and read those words: critically ill. They are not terms...
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To make a long story short, I missed that last 3 weeks of the 2021-22 school year. I have been on long term disability since then (we’ll save that story for when my journey back into the classroom is complete). As a physics teacher, I teach mostly juniors. So sadly, I’ve missed their senior year. I always enjoy seeing my junior students become even more grown up than ever as they find their paths and leave Brookfield Central High School and enter the world. So, I sent a short email just a little check in with all of my class of 2023 students to let them know I wouldn’t be seeing them finish their high school journey and to check in on any celebrations or frustrations.
Lainie Rowell wrote a wonderful book and hosts an amazing podcast called Evolving with Gratitude. (I hear episode 34 is a good one) I have to admit it got a little dusty in the room receiving these words of gratitude as these students became adults. Sorry if this post is more of a “yeah me” moment. But I couldn’t help but share the words of these gratitude from my past students. No matter how simple or how few words they sent, it touched me to see that a student would choose to hit “reply” rather than “trash”. That our experience was worth a few moments of their day.
“You were an amazing teacher and all the labs you helped us with were awesome i.e. the Sphero lab. It was unfortunate that you didn't finish the year but nevertheless, you were fun to work with and help me get better at Physics!”
“That's a bummer to hear you won't be back at school this year... we will miss you!!”
“Senior year is going great! I am graduating at the end of March!”
“Not gonna lie, when I had you for physics, that was the only class I looked forward to going to that day, you made learning fun and engaging and you were very chill. Thanks for checking in with me, I really appreciate it and everyones at BC misses having you as a teacher.”
“I miss being in your class so much; it was my favorite class I have ever taken at BC.”
“ I love physics (because of you) so I want to take Physics minor.”
“Hello Mr. Mo!! I really really appreciate you reaching out, it means a lot!! I want you to know that I have been praying for you as much as possible and I really truly hope that everything is going well for you! “
“I really enjoyed Physics, especially the different labs. (The Sphero one was chaotic and fun-)”
“It’s great to hear from you! My senior year is going well and all my classes have been enjoyable so far. I appreciate you reaching out and wish you all the best!”
“It's good to hear from you, I hope all is well.”
“It's nice to hear from you! We also had Senior Ball last weekend which was fun except for the music choices could have been better. How are you doing? I miss your class!”
“Seeing this email made me super happy! Things are going pretty well for me, I’m committed to Carroll and going for nursing which I'm super excited about. I miss our physics class, you were such an amazing teacher (one of my favorite teachers I've ever had).”
“Mr.Mohammad, it is so good to hear from you. I have missed you so much and I'm thrilled to hear that you're okay. I as well as my peers have missed your classes so much, every class you teach shows how much you care about teaching and how much you care about each of us. From the engaging demos to the time spent making Pear Decks or Blookets everything you do makes the class much more enjoyable than any of my teachers have been able to do. You've given me memories that I will remember forever, thank you Mr. Mo.”
“It's so great to hear from you and I hope you're doing well. Glad you reached out!”
“I'm glad you are doing well and better. I heard it was pretty serious, but anyways it's like we have a whole new science department...sad days…”
“I hope you've been doing better recently and you've definitely been very missed.”
“It is nice to hear from you again!”
“That is unfortunate to hear :(( I hope you are doing very well though!”
“I hope you're getting better and I have been thinking about how you're doing throughout the year too.”
“Hi Mr.Mo! I hope all is well and that you're doing better. We miss you!”
“Wish you nothing but the best and unfortunately we won’t see each other this school year. You'll always be one of the reasons I enjoyed school so much. Thanks for everything Mr.Mo. Have a good and healthy year.”
“I hope you are doing well, we all miss you so much. The science department is definitely struggling without you.”
“We all miss you so much!! I hope all is well with you, and we hope to have you back really soon!! It was really nice to hear from you :) Thanks for reaching out!”
“I miss you and hope everything is going well for you. Stay safe Mr.Mo :) Thank you for reaching out.”
“I'm sad that I won't be able to see you before graduation :( I hope you're able to come back next year, though! I hope the beginning of your year has been going well, my friends and I all miss you a lot!”
“I've missed seeing you in school and my daily words of wisdom from Mr. Mohammad. I hope you are feeling well and hopefully next year if you are in I would be able to come in and visit you. It was great for you to reach out to me.
“That sucks you won't come back this year, I liked you being my teacher.”
“I know that we all wished we could have finished last year with you teaching. I remember being told it was due to something medical related, but we were never given any specifics. Regardless, I hope that you are doing great and that everything is heading in the right direction!”
“I'm glad to hear from you again and I hope that your 2023 will be a great one.”
“It means so much to me that you reached out. No one else has done anything like this for me and I greatly appreciate it. I hope I can come visit you once you get better.”
“We here at BC miss you tons!”
“How are you doing? I would love to come to visit you with my former AP Physics 2 classmates. I hope you get better soon.”
“Hi! I’m sad that you won’t be back this year! I’m happy to hear from you! Thank you for reaching out!”
“Thanks Mr. Mo for reaching out and being a meaningful mentor and friend.”
So, have you taken the time to ever reach out to former students? Just to check in on them? We all have that opportunity to show that they were seen and remembered and that someone cares about them. I had to do it via email, but think of all they ways we can let students know that they have a place.
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