Maybe

Each quarter I ask my students what they think of my class. It gives them the opportunity to provide feedback outside of the bubble surveys mandated by the school. For the most part, my students play it safe. Many of them do not give too much of an opinion either for or against various aspects of the course. Sometimes, however, I get a glimpse into the students' perspective - one of my pupils will say something that makes me think. Their comments can be insightful...

Today, my freshmen turned in their appraisals. Overall, the responses were entertaining. A few were well thought out and may even prove to be helpful as I plan for future quarters. Others were just goofy. One of my students, for example, commented, "I liked listening to your stories each day. I liked that you covered so much and made it interesting. I also liked to see which lip gloss you would wear each day". Another student said, "I like that you don't stand behind a podium. I like that you pick on people. I like that you climb on top of the desk and start laughing when you tell a story". A couple of students commented on their disappointments. One said, "I wish that we would have gone into more detail on things and slowed down a bit. Sometimes you talk too fast". Another said, "I wanted to learn more about personality development. Right when we're getting into the interesting stuff, the quarter is going to be over".

The comments that hit me the most, however, were the following: "This class made me think. I realized that I have a lot to learn" and "I think this class has helped me open my mind"...Wow! How awesome is that?!? It seems that maybe...just maybe...I have actually reached a few. Maybe I have induced thought. Maybe I have sparked imagination. Maybe I have inspired tomorrow's leaders....

Maybe...Just Maybe...I've made a difference...