Dear Mr. or Mrs., you're doing it wrong.

In an effort to please the state, you've forgotten why we stay in school so long.

A teacher's job is not to cram facts down our throat, or to worry about a short answer we wrote,

A teacher's job is not to make us pass some standardized tests or give us so much homework that we never get any rest,

A teacher's job, at it's core, is not even to teach; it's something more:

It's the job of inspiring us to have dreams, of  challenging us to overcome obstacles we can't seem to breach, of encouraging us to set goals and help us when we can't quite reach,

Dear Mr. or Mrs., this is a letter to you,

For though you have passion for your subject, you've fogotten how to make us have that passion, too.

We don't all have to be mathematicians, star writers, or history buffs,

Just show us that we can succeed at something and maybe that will be enough,

What you're lacking isn't personality or skill, that we've seen, but had our fill,

Because before we can ingest information and truly learn well, you must first prove that your class doesn't have to be a living hell.

Get us excited, show us something unusual or cool, something that might even make us rethink how we look at school,

Instead of teaching about a battle, let us pretend to fight it; show us beauty in literature before you make us write it,

Show us why math applies and in science let us do unexpected experiments that make the time fly.

Dear Mr. or Mrs, I can not lie; class today it a nightmare, and it's not just because we don't try.

School is a struggle, we must force ourselves to trudge on and get through the day, so please don't teach, spice it up and help us learn in a whole new way,

Because though "unorthodox," "different," or flat-out "odd," new teaching methods can be a gift from God.

So do away with the old activities, boring flashcards and pointless games; break up your lecture so that it doesn't all start to sound the same,

Show us why teaching is your passion.

And don't be afraid to teach in a new fashion.

Signed,

A frustrated student