Dear future students,
You are currently still enjoying Summer vacation. Technically so am I. Starting tomorrow, the kids in my neighborhood here in the Provo School District will no longer be enjoying Summer vacation, because for some odd reason they start a week before us. Tomorrow is also an important day for me, because I’ll be given a key to my classroom. That will give me the power to go to our room whenever I want, as long as the school is open. In other words, I pretty much have the same access you will. But I’ll be spending next week thinking about you like crazy, and getting our room ready for some serious magic. I hope you’re into that.
I went to Elementary school before the days of No Child Left Behind. That means my Elementary experience was vastly different than yours has been. You face countless standardized assessments, and the curriculum is carefully mandated by people that get paid a lot more than me. You also won’t have a swimming party at my house or get homemade brownies every time someone in our class has a birthday. The rules are different now.
When I was in 6th grade, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was the newest Harry Potter book. It was way longer than any book I’d ever read, but I still read it in two days. You won’t have the excitement of waiting for a new HP book to be released, or even a new film (besides Fantastic Beasts!) but I’ve provided you with approximately five copies of each book in the series, so I’ll be really sad if you don’t read every single one this year. I did give you a Hogwarts acceptance letter, after all. Please like Harry Potter as much as I do.
Let me be really honest with you (something you can ALWAYS count on from me): this is my first year teaching full-time, and I’m kind of terrified. All my experience is in 3rd grade, and I just don’t know what to expect from you. I can guarantee I will never give you less than my best, because you absolutely deserve it. But I can also guarantee that I will not be perfect. You can count on me to make lots and lots of mistakes, but they will never be on purpose. Please be patient with me as we learn together. I promise to be patient with you.
My big goals for you this year are to help you learn to love to read, to be confident, and to plan for college. You are special, my friends. If you leave my class feeling anything other than special, then we need to talk. You can always talk to me.
We’re going to have our best year so far. I won’t spend it all preparing you for Middle School, because you deserve one last year of Elementary School. Can’t wait to see you soon!
Love, Miss Blair