A heartwarming Back-to-School message written by a local teacher.
To my students,
Welcome back to another school year.
Here’s hoping this is the best one yet! I hope you build a village this year, or are reunited with close friends who love the realest version of you as you can be right now. I hope you are able to safely be your truest, most authentic self. I hope you can be more you.
It’s hard to be in school. It’s hard to be a student. It’s hard to be young and different. It’s hard to focus on history when grown adults are fighting about your rights in historical battles and teachers don’t have time to talk about it.
Don’t stop learning about what you’re passionate about, despite the barriers you face. There’s so much good you can do, and so much light you will see. Find the right people who will back you up. There’s so many people who will love you unconditionally that you haven’t even met yet. There’s so much more to life after school.
Good teachers become teachers because they want to help students, but they don’t always know the right way. Find the good adults, who aren’t afraid to keep learning and growing. We want you to succeed and we want you to learn. About yourself. About life. About love. We also want you to know that there is no one right way to live for all people. We want you to learn your own right way to be, and we’re here to help you along the way.
So, again, best of luck this year. Keep being you, even if it’s only around yourself.
I can’t wait to meet all the versions of you.
Love your queer teacher,
Mr. Alex
Mr. Alex taught public elementary school for five years and has been working in special education for four years. Mr. Alex strives to support his students mental health and instill a love of learning in every student! He lives in Maryland with his wife and their five cats.