Dear Franklin Township School teachers,

I’m entering my senior year at Rutgers University. I haven’t spoken to most of you since I was a little girl or perhaps as late as my eighth grade year. When you last saw me, I was getting ready to embark on my high school career, nervous and anxious, all while being curious of what was to come. I had no idea at the time what the next stage of my life would entail (or the past seven years, for that matter) and had no clue as to what the career was that I wanted to pursue in the future. However, I left Franklin Township School aware of my passions, already recognizing my weaknesses and strengths, and learning a thing or two about how people operate.

As I enter in my last year of undergraduate schooling (possibly ever), I have come to realize that you all taught me the most about education. The way that primary and middle school is structured allows for a great deal of interaction between students and teachers. Now, this time could be wasted by poorly patient teachers or by young students that are too closed-minded and unwilling to listen to the advice of their mentors. I have been lucky enough to learn from the most caring, responsible, and driven teachers while I developed my own notions of what it meant to have a kind heart and a hungry mind.

Having begun my first internship at a company and having taught my very own class at Rutgers, I often mirror my experiences at both of these entities to the work you have done throughout my primary school days, and what many of you continue to do with your careers. Every year, you teach curriculum to your students, and every year you have to explain basic concepts over and over again. Your patience is greatly appreciated, especially in dealing with students like me, when somedays I just didn’t get why 2 +2 = 4 (real life, I once answered 2 + 2 = 2 on a quiz in sixth grade ... these memories can haunt you forever). And you also understand that you can’t take time off. My friends and I were depending on you to teach us algebra, give us the deets on the Revolutionary War heroes, and analyze what the novel "Shaliko" can teach us about old America. And when I can barely create my own lesson plan for one class period at Rutgers, I wonder how you structured lesson plans every day from September through June!

While in college, I've developed a passion for public relations, which at a young age I wouldn’t have been able to discover. But my passion for history and for learning, two things I discovered at Franklin, has stayed with me. Franklin Township allowed me to find which areas of study interested me. More importantly, you all taught me that it is important to hunt for my passions. Primary school allowed me to work through problems and ideas to the point where I could admit with confidence that I preferred one topic of study over another. Flagging your interests at a young age allows you more time to process that topic and to even train yourself to become a life-long expert.

And even more generally, you all taught me how to study. This sounds like a simple task, but I would argue against this point. The discipline required to be a good studier cannot be taught, but what can be taught is how you can master a subject by example. To this point, the study techniques you have taught me have gone far past those small halls and travel with me to all five campuses at Rutgers.

Thank you for your patience, inspiring my passions, and teaching me the value of studying. And although I may not have spoken to you all in a long time, keep an eye out for my future wedding invitation! I hope to connect soon!

Kindly,

Melissa Jannuzzi