It was a pleasure to see all of you again. I apologize to those of you that I did not see, or was unable to spend one on one time with. I have told all of you over the past four years that I am truly cheering for you and your future success. I still am your biggest supporter. I wish I could have stayed at the school longer and talked to more of you, I didn’t really plan that part out very well. My email is always open and I would love you hear from all of you. The email is MrCampbellRocks@gmail.com
It was fun seeing some of the teachers as well, truly some of my best friends and some of the best people I know. Thank You.
For those that asked, here is the letter I wrote at the end of the year.
May 2013
Dear, Students
What a year! It’s crazy how fast it has gone. It is very difficult to express how much we love each of you. We have learned so much about each of you, and even more about ourselves. The following few words are what I wish I could tell each of you. In each paragraph there is something that will be meant specifically for each one of you. I take pride in knowing each of my students. We hope you will keep this letter in a safe place and refer to it often. We love each of you.
This Document is interactive there are links, videos and emails in the letter. When you click on something blue it will open a new window.
I will always be your seventh grade teacher. My door/email is always open. Mrcampbellrocks@gmail.com Always. At times I may be working with my new 7th grade students, or in a hurry to get something done, but as you have seen from my classes this year my door is always open. A simple, “Mr. Campbell, I just need someone to listen” will work. I believe that part of who I am as a person is because certain adults cared enough about me to listen and tell me the “hard” things that I needed to hear. I will always tell you the hard things you need to hear.
You are Special
Each of you is your own individual person, and who you are makes a difference. Middle school is hard, we understand this. We want you to know how special each of you are, and let you know that each of you has individual skills and abilities that can help make the world a better place. We are not just talking about recycling or something like that. We are talking about a smile, a kind word, a vote of confidence. DO NOT let anyone ever tell you otherwise. Including: parents, friends, siblings, other teachers not anyone. If you are ever feeling like you are not special, come and see me. I will help set the record straight.
Pushed too Hard
One of the hardest parts of being a teacher is knowing when to push students to their best effort and when to back off a little. All of my decisions have been out of love. I truly believe that greatness lies in all of you. Some of you can see it and others are still trying to figure it out. If you ever felt that I was pushing you to hard, know that it was always out of love and never out of dislike.
Mistakes
Things we wish we would have said or done, and things we wish we wouldn’t have said or done. We all make them, and hopefully we all learn from them. If I have offended or hurt you in anyway. I apologize. It was not purposeful. I truly have and had your best interest at heart.
Don’t ever Give Up!
At the beginning of the year we watched a video (football) about doing your best and not giving up. Life will get more difficult. You and your life, “Deserve your absolute best!” If you ever need a “pep talk” let me know. I am more than willing to help out.
Boys
I take being a man and a gentleman very seriously. Even more so because I am the only male/boy teacher upstairs on this end of the building. Every woman that you meet for the rest of your life is and mostly likely will be someone’s daughter, sister, aunt, mother ect. This is a big deal. Being a man means treating women better than yourself. I will be the first to admit that this is not easy. However, it will make all of the difference in everything. Remember girls talk. If you hurt one you hurt all of them.If you like a girl don’t be mean to her, just tell her or show her that you like her. Small things will make a huge difference see attached story.
Girls
You are all beautiful. You are all amazing. You deserve the best life has to offer. If you settle for less than you will get less. If you demand the best from boys/men you will get their best. Boys will treat you how you demand that you be treated. And if they are not willing to or can’t respect you and treat you with dignity… they will leave or go find someone else who will settle for less. I realize that boys should know how to be gentleman, but sometimes they forget or have not been taught this. It is your job to teach them. You deserve it and should demand it from them. Do not doubt your abilities and what you can do. Have self confidence and try to ignore the negative voices in your heads.
To the Introverts:
I am not telling you to be more like extroverts at all. However you are brilliant and have so many good ideas. Please share them with us more often. I know that it goes against your nature to do this, but extroverts need your help. It’s ok to be self reflective and what some people would call quiet. We need introverts and quiet people to make big decisions. We need people to think logically and internally about world matters. Introverts are changing the world.
Friendship
Make and keep good friends. If you have someone that is in your pond/lake that is making waves, you may need to kick them out of your lake. As humans we want to be around people that care about us and make us feel better. Surround yourself with positive people who do this. Remember to spend time and energy on your Big Rocks…
Reading
I know that some of you despise reading. You hate it. You abhor it. So much that you are willing to lie about doing it, and spend more time and energy faking it, than to actually read in the first place.Reading is the master key to life. Reading opens doors that no other single skill can even get close to. The world revolves around solving problems. Reading allows people to solve problems. Reading will allow you to solve problems. I love reading. It is part of who I am. I hope that my passion for reading has inspired you to read more if not now, hopefully in the future.
Emotional Bank Account
You are either making deposits or withdrawals. Make sure you are depositing at all times.
Thank You
Almost every waking thought I have is focused on my students. Whether it is right or not I don’t know. Once again I want to thank you for who you are as people, as students, and as friends. My life is forever changed because of our relationship. I love each of you.
Mr. Campbell