My letters to my students

I teach English for some mischievous  amazing teenagers,,

Every single school year I start with the same grumpy attitude, hating to remember how many notebooks I have to correct , how many exams I have to make and how many early mornings I have to conquer.

It`s overwhelming BUT there comes a moment when I totally fall in love with a class I'm teaching,,they impress me with their brains and I always fall for brains.

I have great hopes in youth, I believe they will make the change we couldn't.

So I started to write them letters every other Sunday, I hang it in their classroom bulletin boards and just love it when they say they have read it.

Sharing my letters here and hoping to hear some feed back.

First letter 

• Dear students, I always have crazy ideas, that’s why people think I’m weird. Well, to tell you the truth, I also have my doubts But the weirdest thing that`s been roaming in my head lately was this: writing letters to my beloved students! In a world that rarely cares about letters and seldom pays attention to papers on walls, here I am trying to grab your attention to some ideas in my head, insights about life and lots and lots of love to share. Most of you know me as English Teacher Sumaya Bino (I heard a rumor that I’m being called T. Binoz, and frankly I like the nick) I taught half of you and probably yelled at almost every single girl in the school, ,you know,,, we teachers tend to get nasty sometimes but let me introduce myself again ,, maybe this time you will like me more,, I am Sumaya Bino an English teacher in your glorious school (giggles),,, I have been teaching for like 4 years now and to be honest, that was not my dream job. I wanted a job with minimum work hours and maximum pay ,,,, ironically I ended up being a teacher. I graduated from a public high school, that’s why you brats will never get me with your attitude I have bugged teachers, annoyed friends, made gangs and drove my parents bananas being a very typical teenager, that’s why I understand most of you and know where you’re coming from. Actually, my mom had to come to school very often that we almost became buddies ,,, shared same books and sat together in the same desk,,, of course her visits were always to the principal’s office….MINE followed I’m 30, dreaded it till I discovered it’s the most rewarding age,,, plenty of wisdom and happiness around me that I’m actually loving it ,,, ,I will be very positive and not mention the 2 white hairs I discovered at the hair salon the other day ,, I almost punched the poor lady on her face when she mentioned them while blow drying my hair. I also won’t mention how hard it is to lose weight at this age and how I’m now (whether I like it or not) compelled to buy anti age_ wrinkle _ revital _ reginerest blah blah blah creams for the wrinkles around my eyes. They cost a fortune and my visa can’t cover the budget ! Married and have two kids ,,,I refer to them as ( grood) will tell you why later on.

  I eat a lot ,,, sleep often and drink lots and lots of tea ,,, I’m a neat freak , and above all this I love crafting and baking. I wear high heels and walk bare foot in weddings when my feet get sore ,,,I eat nutella straight from the jar and when the kids nag that it`s empty I blame it on the hubby. I lie sometimes, miss Fajer at least once a month, yell at people when I’m mad, do spelling mistakes and drive like a crazy woman. I love the sun and hate all sorts of winter, cloudy, snowy and rainy,, and the classic notion of how cozy it is to be at home watching the rain through a foggy window while drinking hot chocolate will never fool me,,,, I HATE IT ! Sorry had to voice this up :p But one thing I’m very proud of ,,, is believe it or not ,,,being a teacher. It adds so much to my life that I want to quit so I won’t reach the part where it becomes dull and annoying ,,,told you I’m weird ! To be fair, I have to admit, I hate correcting writings and exam papers,,, I hate early mornings ,,and don’t tell me coffee fixes it because all the coffee beans in Columbia won’t make me a morning person. I hate “Munawebeh” day and I hate meetings! But,,,it`s that look in my students` eyes when they are enjoying a literature class that makes it worth the trouble ,,, the smiles and hugs they give me in the morning ,,,,the feeling of success and achievement given to them at the end of a very long nasty day ,,,, the tears I wipe with the back of my hand ,,,,,and the “I love yous” I hear every day that are rarely heard when you are 30 and living in a practical world. It’s all about genuine love, true friendship and working hard to be perfect just because someone might be looking at me as their role model ,,,,that really scares the hell out of me. So from now on,,,, you will be seeing a lot of me,,,, Letters from Teacher Sumaya each Sunday ,,,,I hope you will enjoy my letters as much as I enjoy writing them.

  With love,,,,,,,,,,,, T. Binoz 7th, April, 2013