Sign My Yearbook

One of my most anxiety producing moments in the classroom is when a student approaches me and says, “Mr. Hirsch, will you sign my yearbook?” I always agree to sign or ask the student to wait until I have a free moment. The truth is that signing yearbooks makes me very anxious.

I joke that I should sell a stamp when yearbooks are being distributed that says:

Dear _____________

It was great seeing you in __________ class.

You are so _________!

Thanks so much for __________.

Have a _______ summer.

Your _________,

__________

Truthfully, I have not read many student yearbook messages. While their notes to each other might be banal and trite, I think that may not be the case. I watch students spend a long time writing their messages. I see yearbooks filled with notes and drawings. Kids seem to be thoughtful about yearbook notes.

That is why I am so worried. I don’t have time to craft a well-written and personal message. My handwriting is not that great. I misspell words and change my mind after I put them on the page. I just changed the beginning of this paragraph. I just changed it again.

Yearbook messages may not be carved in stone, but they are likely to be saved and, once in a while, reviewed. I worry that this five-minute scrawl is what this student will eventually remember about our time together. By the time all this has gone through my head, I am paralyzed and I regret whatever I write as soon as I hand the book back. I worry that I said the wrong thing or didn’t say enough.

So without the personal student-specific stuff, here is a version of the message I wish I could write in my students’ yearbooks:

My Dear Classmate,

Thank you for sharing class with me this year. Thank you for rolling up your sleeves and working hard. Thank you for your contributions to class, patience with me and our classmates, and willingness to laugh at my jokes. Thank you for the kindness you showed every day.

I want you to know how capable you are. It is healthy to doubt our abilities sometimes. However, your growth this year is not something you should question. It proves you can learn anything you want and become whatever or whomever you choose. You have that power. Use it for good.

I will miss you next year. Actually, I will miss you next period, tomorrow, and over the summer. I will miss you right after we greet each other in the hallway. When you graduate, I will continue missing you. I will think about you when we discuss the topics you loved and hated. I will remember you when we explore assignments that shaped your experience in this class. That is why I take a lot of pictures. They randomly appear on the background of my computer, and I will smile and miss you more when your photo surprises me like a found coin.

Please don’t doubt our relationship. Come back and visit school. You have a permanent standing appointment. At the front desk, when they ask if someone is expecting you, tell them that Mr. Hirsch is expecting you. I am always expecting you. Yes, you may befriend me on Facebook (after you graduate), yes, you may connect via Twitter or Instagram or email or owl or Morse code! I encourage you to use whatever way works for you to stay in touch – and that choice is yours.

When you have those moments of struggle, when you think the audience is empty and yearn for even the echo of applause, when you doubt yourself and your abilities, when things seem unbearable, remember that I am a card-carrying member of your fan club and I am cheering for you from Deerfield. Your audience is never empty and I know that you have the skills to figure out anything. It may take time, effort, creativity, and resources. You have more resources than you know – and I am one of them.

I care deeply about you, even when we have struggled or disagreed. I care deeply about you even if sometimes we fall down and make mistakes – and I make mistakes, too! Sorry about those. I know that, although I want you to master the skills and know the content and all that stuff, it isn’t the real core curriculum. You are the center of this class. Who you are and what you are thinking and feeling is far more important than any target, objective, or standard.

Be well. Make good choices. Move slowly. Read a lot, and continue to discover and create the extraordinary person I have come to like so much.

Your teacher and friend,

David Hirsch