My spring semester has just ended, and just in time. My energy is gone, it's completely depleted.
I look forward to a very long May, I am going to attempt to fulfill my dream of going to Monticello, VA, then going for a wine tour. I will garden and write, I will try and regain my energy for my classes starting in early June. I will pack and get the house in order and go off for a few weeks to rest. However, before I leave, as I am organizing my office and putting all of my books in order, I sat down to read the reflections that my students wrote. Most students wrote about their challenges, what they learned, how much they worked, ordinary stuff. Except for this one student. She wrote " The most helpful thing is one sentence from my professor Diana, she said the most powerful weapon is the pen in your hand. I'm really impressed by this strong sentence and remember this in my heart."
We all hope that one student will remember just one thing, just one idea that we tried to plant in their young minds. As I write this, I realized that I have reached my goal of planting that one seed. Many of my students will go back to China, they will forget all of the summaries, all of the outlines and the vocabulary that we worked on. They eventually will fade from my memory, their names, their faces, their smiles, gone. The one thing I hope survives is the ability for them to recognize when they need to use that pen, when they have to find the strength in them to move themselves forward and use their intellect. In the end, it is the only thing that will collectively move us all forward. Viva education!
Rest well, all! I'll return this summer
