I found this quote today, and thought of this past semester:Teachers who inspire know that teaching is like cultivating a garden, and those who would have nothing to do with thorns must never attempt to gather flowers.
~Author Unknown
As I considered my Spring 2009 semester, this quote just fit. My semester was like cultivating a garden-- a very diverse garden. I had three wonderful undergraduate classes as well as two graduate classes. Three of these classes were online, and two were face-to-face. I had students in these classes that ranged in age from 18 or 19 to ___ (age not listed to protect the innocent)! Some of my students were full-time students, nannies, lifeguards, teachers, administrators, and full-time homemakers. Some were taking their first class!
Yet, you were all growing. You were growing at different rates and in different ways. Some needed lots of light. Some did not. Some needed to be watered everyday--sometimes 7 times a day. Some did not need a lot of water. You all grew into beautiful plants. Some were flowers; others were trees. However, in the end, you all grew.
Thank you, my garden, for a splendid semester. I wish you are half as lucky as me to have students just like you.
