Miss Olivia,

It’s me—your stressed out, anxiety-filled, aspirational college self! I’m so proud that you finally are a teacher! I know you have wanted this for quite some time, and the fact that you followed through and achieved your goals is amazing. For that, I praise you. It seems like all of those late nights studying finally paid off!

I’m writing to you because I don’t want you to forget the important things. I want you to remember when you were finally old enough to check out books at Van Gorden Elementary School’s library. You read book after book, never being able to quite get enough. Your book bag dragged behind you on the ground because your books weighed more than you. Don’t forget how exciting it was to attend the Scholastic Book Fair every quarter! I don’t want you to forget the feeling of pride that you had when you were able to complete a book that was above your grade level, or how it felt to mark down that you read over ten books more than your second grade teacher, Ms. Fisher, required you to read.

I don’t want you to forget your admittance to the top-secret Club of Adventurers. How you traveled through time and space with Jack and Annie in their Magic Treehouse, or when you won the golden ticket for admittance to the chocolate factory. What about those times spent bonding over your namesake Olivia the Pig, or chasing after the White Rabbit? You spent hours being part of their worlds and pretending that they were part of your own. I want you to remember the friends you have made on these adventures and how you were able to turn to them in times of happiness or pain. Charlotte always seemed to spin the right words in her web, while Matilda could always save the day with her powers.

Miss Olivia, reading has always been such an important part of your existence. I know that it is so easy to get all wrapped up in the common core standards, or how frustrating it is to narrow down your Bloom’s Taxonomy for your learning goal. Especially on days like these, I need you to take a step back and remind yourself of the adventures and friends that got you here. Take time out of your busy class schedule to introduce your students to your childhood pals like Matilda, or The BFG. Have them write letters to your friends, because soon they will become their friends too. Take them with you to join in on all the top-secret adventures you used to go on and see if they can show you something you’ve never seen before.

Let your students go to the library and pick out friends and adventures of their own. Encourage their choices and praise them for taking this step. Have books available in your classroom for fellow adventurers to take home to read with their parents. Not everyone has access to books and stories at home. Make sure that you extend their love of reading outside the four walls of your classroom. Above all, remember that your love of reading was inspired by the people and teachers who took you on adventures and introduced you to the characters you love when you were younger. Now, it is your turn to be that person to your students.

Always behind a pile of paperback books,
Your Younger Self