Stories of Kindness from Around the World

You know it doesn't take much to put a smile on my face and warm my heart. Today I received the attached card from the class I co ordinate. They have all written their own little message. They have all used different coloured pens, no doubt one of the girls' inspirations. I was told they missed me and I laughed but this was then reinforced to me.

It's not often a lecturer gets a card from students so I'm going to tell you what each of them said:

Elizabeth "We're all thinking of you during this time and hope your recovery is a speedy one, x "

Jake "Thanks for the help, hope to see you soon."

Rian "Recover at average speed."
(I know this means don't come back to work until you are fit. Some fights we had last year but by the end of the year he announced we were besties! lol)

Shannon "Thanks for all the help. Best wishes."

Lauren "Get well soon. I hope your recovery is quick, see you soon. 😊 xxx "

Jenny "Hope you get well soon and have a speedy recovery. Xxx "

Paula "Get well soon! 😀"

Matthew F "Don't rush back 😀."
(I just love Matthew, he's a great guy, I've written about him in the past. He was a tough nut and swore at me the first day he was in my class and said he wasn't coming back. By the time I was out visiting him in his part time job and assessing him in customer services, he made me a big chocolate waffle cone and paid for it himself. This so impressed me. He has secured employment and is now doing a higher level course. He has great respect for me and has been off during his course due to surgery so he really means, don't come back too soon in a caring way.)

Newbies who only met me when I interviewed them, they were more reserved:

Matthew "Get well soon."

Micheal "Get well soon."

Brian "Get well soon."

To put this in context  my classroom support  worker wrote:
"Please come back ASAP rescue  me from this madness.   Paul " 

My favourite comment though was from Tina. I've helped her a lot on a pastoral level last year. She wrote, "I'm sending an angel your way to shower you with love and care, Get well soon Tina."   I thought this was so sweet  of Tina. 

These students are approximately 17 years of age. I think it is commendable that they wrote anything more than their own name, at that age I wouldn't have been mature enough to write a comment on my lecturer's card.

Teenagers are often stroppy, something their parents would all attest to but under their complex layers lies heart. While they still lack maturity they care especially for those they know care for them albeit them not wanting to accept boundaries which have been put in place.

For me success in my job is not just in student achievement, it's also in the relationship with students and their acknowledgement that I always have their best interests at heart.  Never thought I'd say this, but  I miss them. X