Empty chairs at empty tables
During my last classes at my elementary school in Korea, I made sure my students heard a few choice words from me in the form of a farewell speech. This open letter is a summary of those words, posted online so other teachers may share with their students if they think it is appropriate.
Dear student,
Right now, it may seem like getting good grades and doing well on tests are the most important things in the world. You’ve been living in a cycle of continuous education that tells you this, and it’s reinforced every single day. You wake up in the morning, go to school, go to afterschool classes or private academies, and then you go home and do homework until you fall asleep, only to wake up the next morning and do it all again. Some of you even went to private academies during summer and winter vacation instead of taking time off from school.
And I get it – when you spend so much time at school or working on homework, it’s logical to think that grades are important. They’re the reason you are working so hard after all. And in this society, in this world, they are important. But they’re not the most important. Don’t study so hard that you forget to learn something in the process.
Someday, someone is going to give you a grade and tell you that it’s what you are worth. That your future, your university, and your potential jobs are determined by this grade, and that it defines you. This grade will tell you what you are and what you can be. And your friends and your classmates will believe it.
But I want to tell you right now that you are more than this. You are more than a number or letter, more than the results of a single exam on a single given day. Your worth cannot be measured by any educational assessment. You are more than something that someone else tells you that you are.
You are your likes and dislikes, your interests, and your hobbies. You are the things that make you smile and the things that make you cry. You are the people that you love and the ones who love you back in return. You are your favorite song, your favorite food, and your favorite movie. You are the things that make you different from everyone else, and these are the things that make you special.
Remember to be different. Everyone goes to school, studies hard, and tries to get good grades. Everyone takes tests and focuses on academic excellence. But not everyone plays guitar. Not everyone likes science, and not everyone likes English. Not everyone wants to travel the world and not everyone wants to be a diplomat or an ambassador. The dreams you have and the activities you do outside of any school building or classroom will tell you more about yourself than any letter or number grade ever will.
And when it comes down to it, these differences are what will set you apart from everyone else. If you are worried that grades will determine your future, I want to tell you that your passions and interests will shape your future self much more than your test scores. Both are important, but only one can make you happy.
So remember to work hard, but also remember to be different. Find the things you like to do and do them. Find the friends and family you love and be with them. Find the things that make you different and be yourself.
And you will do wonderful things.
Spoken like a true teacher, Brian. James Metcalf, “I want to teach my students more than the words in a book or how the rivers flow…” Thanks. While you make a more dramatic difference in your work in Nepal, the work you’ve done for the past year will have long lasting results a well as the students will recall the English teacher who was “The Old Man.”
I certainly hope so!
Brian — Such sage advice from a young man! When I read Steve Jobs’ inspiring commencement speech to a Stanford graduating class many, many years ago, I thought throughout my reading how much I wanted to share it with Jason; I felt the exact same way as I read your letter to your students. You can be sure I will be copying your letter to send to him at school…just as I had saved a copy of Steve Jobs’ speech and retrieved it years later when Jason was old enough to read it and understand its meaning.
If you haven’t read S. Jobs’ commencement speech, Google it and read it, so you can understand how eloquent, honest, insightful, and inspiring your letter is…so you can see in your writing what I see 🙂
Safe travels, Brian, and keep on writing!
Thanks! I will look it up! I think I may have watched it a while back but can always use a refresher!