Okay, so you’ve read the note. Now what? Do not, under any circumstances, just throw it in the recycling bin with the old worksheets. This is a sacred artifact of your teaching career. Keep it in a drawer with the macaroni necklace from 2015 and the drawing of you as a potato with legs. In ten years, you’ll pull it out, laugh at the handwriting, and think, “Wow, I was actually a pretty good mentor.”
Your reply, by the way, should be a simple text or an email. No need to handwrite a reply. That would trigger a loop of mutual gratitude that could theoretically tear a hole in the space-time continuum. Just say, “I’m proud of you. Now go buy better stationery.” You’ll be their hero.
So, treasure that awkward note. It’s a time capsule of their enthusiasm, your patience, and one very weird semester together. And if it’s written on vintage Pokémon notebook paper? Keep it forever. That’s a collector’s item.
