If you've been reading the Radical recently, you know it's been a frustrating week for me. I'm tired of working in tested subjects and tired of fighting back against under-informed policies.
Things are gloomy inside my professional head, that's for sure. Which is why the letter that one of my seventh grade soccer players brought by my room yesterday afternoon meant so much.
Check it out:
Dear Mr. Ferriter,
I just wanted to say that I appreciate your time and effort in putting this season together. You are a great coach that knows how to teach beautiful soccer and have fun at the same time.
I know and understand that you appreciate us as much as we admire you, and thank you for that. Words cannot describe how thankful and blessed we are for you, Coach. We all hope you are able to come back next year, but if not, we totally understand and are grateful for the time that you have given us.
This season was definitely one that I will never forget, and you are a huge part of that. I just want to thank you for everything that you have done for us and taught us about the wonderful game of soccer.
–Baker Boy
Next time someone asks about my "value added scores" or my "effectiveness index," I'm going to send them to see this kid! Maybe then, they'll recognize that the contributions of teachers go far beyond anything a standardized test can measure.
