Thought of the Season

fom Kerry Wood, author, poet, teacher:

Years ago I wrote a letter of thanks to a famous Yale professor whose Shakespeare lectures had inspired me and urged me to a teaching career. He wrote back about how much it means to be remembered and to get letters even from students such as I, who were just a speck in a huge lecture room and never spoke to him nor were spoken to by him. He wrote: "I suppose you are right to say I don’t know you. From a big class like English 34 it was my sad but unavoidable fate to know very few. But in another way I do know you because only certain rather rare kinds of people indulge their sympathetic intuitions enough to realize that letters like yours can take fifty years off an old man's shoulders."

I save notes from students and parents. Last Thanksgiving, I shared some with my writing group. It's gratifying to get thank-yous at the end of the school year, but truly heartwarming when t remembrances come from students of 20 and 30 years ago.

Here’s one from Karen, a talented writer I had encouraged to major in English.

I adore Berkeley and I've decided to be an English major. People say it's impractical, but I would like to teach at the college level. I've decided to do it even if I have no talent at all.

By the way, you lied—and my teacher who said I should make a career of fiction lied—because my rhetoric professor said my writing stinks and I should give it up. After several C's, I went to office hours to discover what was wrong with papers I had slaved over for hours. Five minutes into his defense, I fell apart and cried. I think I scared him because after that my grades really jumped. I still only got a B+, though, and it was a disappointment. So I decided to become a math major but then I got into a literature course on major American and British authors. It’s exciting! We have a new book to read every week and discussions are lively. I loved Pound and Eliot, but Joyce is my top, top favorite.
I may not have any talent at all but I adore literature and I'm going to stick with it until they kick me out of the department.
Anyway, I wanted to thank you for letting me into your class when I wasn't supposed to be there and for giving me some valuable training even if I have a long, long way to go before I arrive anywhere. I forgive you for grading me too easily. You're a good teacher.
Love,
Karen

That letter was written in 1987. Today Karen is an English PhD, has written a critical study of Isabel Allende, and teaches English at City College of San Francisco. I wrote her a note suggesting that any erroneous judgment of her talents might be imputed to her Berkeley teacher and not to me.

Kerry Wood

www.kerrymwood.com
Author of the memoir “Past Imperfect, Present Progressive" which is available on his website.