Thursday, January 19, 2012

So, I had to write this email today

Hey ------, I just wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed having you in my class this year.  I know you've had a rough time, and I wish I knew some awesome advice to give you right now.  Unfortunately, I'm not smart enough.  I'll tell you this though: when I was your age I began to be depressed, and struggled with it for a long time.  Eventually, when I was older, I was able to handle it better, and life became much more manageable. That's not the point though, because it doesn't work that way for everyone, and to this day I have no clue if it was simply my brain chemistry or changes in my life that helped me, or a little of both.
All I'm saying is that I was proud to have you as my student, and I really hope that eventually you'll find some peace.  I remember you said something about other people not wanting to help you, but honestly, there are people who do want to help you out in life - sometimes they're hard to find, and sometimes they can't give lots of help, but they're out there.  Ms. Scheirer and I were both sad to hear that you were gone, and I'm sure if Mrs. Provencher was here she'd be sad too.  Kids your age are willing to help you too (Savannah and Sanne and Aadel are all good examples of kids who tried to work with you and help you out this year).  The point is that you're not alone.
Ok, I've got a lot of grading to do, so I'll finish up now.  If you ever wanna shoot me an email to get some advice or get something off your chest, feel free to email me.  Most of the time I won't have an amazing answer for you, but I can at least listen to what you have to say (honestly, to this day I think one of the main reasons I stopped being so depressed was that around the age of 23 I had some really good friends that were willing to listen to all my worries and calm me down). 
I wish you the best man.  I know video games are a major outlet for you, but being around some good people that are your age might help a lot.  It doesn't have to be through school or sports, either.  I think volunteer organizations are a great way to meet good people while helping make the world a better place (www.volunteerindubai.com might have some info).  Anyways, there are ways to get involved in something that interests you where you can meet like-minded people, but it takes some searching.  Ok, I seriously need to grade.  Talk to you later, Mr. Hellmann

1 comment:

DAD said...

This is what I like to call "an Esther moment." "For such a time as this you were place into the kingdom." This is what being a teacher and a mentor is all about. I am proud of you and love you very much. Dad