A Letter to My Students
The Letter
To My Seventh Grade ELA Students
June 5, 2025
Dear Students,
You often asked me which class was my favorite. Just as often, I affirmed that your class was my favorite. My answer scandalized some of you. You were sure that this was the answer I gave every student and every class. You were right. This was my answer to all of you. With the year drawing to a close, I am ready to come clean and confess. My favorite class was yours, and you were my favorite student.
I know. I know. I can hear your voices now. “Mr. Brewer! We can’t all be your favorite!” Well, you’re wrong. You were my favorite student, and yours was my favorite class to teach. While you saw yourselves as six separate and disconnected classes, I saw you as one class, a single community of students that made up my seventh-grade English class.
This is why respect is the foundation of my classroom. I was unwilling to accept my favorite students being disrespected or watching them disrespect others. Whether you see it now or not, we need each other. Our lives are interconnected, interwoven—what hurts one will eventually hurt all. Have grace for one another. Be kind. Be merciful. It is a far more courageous and powerful thing to do. Anyone can be cruel. Anyone can be mean. It is weak energy. Low-hanging fruit that is too easy and far beneath you. Take the better path.
You have taught me that every student has a secret life that teachers and others are not privy to. There is a world in which you exist outside the confines of the classroom, outside of the school itself. For some, this world is a hard place with overwhelming challenges. That is why I never disliked you. Even on your bad days, when I called you to choose a better way, I never disliked you. I knew there was more to the story on those bad days. Each one of you is an incredible human being. We all have bad days and make impulsive decisions. Own your mistakes—especially on those days—recover, and learn to do better next time.
I can’t begin to describe how proud I am of all of you. You’ve come so far from the first day you stepped into my classroom. You did hard things, overcame challenges, and demonstrated your ability to apply new knowledge in a variety of settings. Be proud of yourself. Celebrate your growth. Use these new skills to navigate your world.
You taught me to be patient and understanding. You showed me the importance of getting to know my students and finding ways to reflect their interests and multifaceted identities in the learning experience. I hope you saw at least some part of yourself in the work we did together. You emphasized the importance of stepping back when the class is struggling and considering different ways to approach lessons to reach as many students as possible—and for those who are still struggling, you reminded me that, as much as is within my control, we never leave a classmate behind.
Next year, I will teach at a different school with an entirely different group of students. They’ll never realize that they have you to thank for the kind of teacher I will be for them. Each one of you has helped me to become better than I was on the first day of school. I have grown, and it’s your fault. Thank you for that. I will not forget the lessons you taught me, and I will miss you all greatly.
So go on! Do amazing things! Become people who are better than I will ever be! Be great! You can do it. You are all good kids. Every one of you. Yes, even you challenging student. You are good kids. Don’t listen to anyone who tells you otherwise. I’m proud of you.
Let me end by saying this: you were my favorite class, and you were my favorite student.
With Respect,
With humility,
With grace,
Mr. Brewer
