An Open Love Letter to My Students

I am so proud of you. Today, and many days before, I watched you feel literature. I watched you get it, and I cannot tell you how lucky it makes me feel to teach you, to show you new worlds, and to have the privilege of experiencing it with you.

Thank you. Thank you for your brilliant minds, for your humor, your openness to learn, your imagination, and your youth. There are days that I question whether or not you're learning, whether or not I'm reaching you, if you understand. Thank you for struggling through those days and coming back on the next one with fresh minds and willing eyes. Thank you for diving into material that you find difficult; thank you for trusting me to open those curtains for you.

The potential that is eminent in your minds, the power that is so clear in your brains is astounding. You can do anything; you can be anything. I hope you believe that. I hope you want that. You, my dears, have the future at your fingertips, and it is so blindingly bright. Hold onto that light. Share it, explain it, believe in it. Hold strong to your beliefs, and refuse to let the world take them away from you.

Ask why. In every instance, in every trial, in every challenge, don't ever feel afraid to question, to wonder, to seek a deeper meaning. There is one. Find it. Don't ever apologize for your curiosity; cling to it. Your youth is not a barrier or a burden; it is an opportunity. Grow. Strive. Dream.

The world often feels dark and ominous and empty. There are times when you will feel taken advantage of and beaten down. In those moments of uncertainty, remember that the world is what you make it, and you possess the power to light it up like fireworks. Your minds are a beautiful thing; use them, push them, make them work to find the good in the world. It is always there.

Humanity is so frequently flawed, so full of mistakes and lost chances. You can always be a catalyst for change, for hope. Refuse to lose yourself in the broken pieces of the world and choose to pick them up, put them back together and create something beautiful. I believe in you, even on days when this place around you feels dark, you have the capacity to create light in the darkness, to be light. So often you are the light in my days; thank you.

I am so proud of you. I am so grateful for you.
Love,
Ms. Schneider