Letter from a 13 year old boy to his former english teacher


Illustration: Anita Hogeborn Kullander
“I don’t know if you remember, but when I had you as a teacher this spring (class 7C) I asked you if I could get more advanced assignments and if I could do an assignment to complete the requirements for elementary school english (tenta av engelskan). You responded with a “No” and told me my writing wasn’t good enough.

I transferred to a new school in March and I was there allowed to do the national tests with the ninth graders, as well as a writing assignment. I recieved an A on every test and the writing assignment. Now I have an A in English and I don’t have to attend English class until high school according to Swedish law.

I am writing this in hope that you will give other students the opportunity I didn’t recieve. Sitting in an English class, or any class for that matter, where you already feel like you know everything tears you apart inside, and that’s the main reason I changed schools. I hope that you not only take this into account yourself, but also help students in other classes by informing their teacher that just because someone has small mistakes in their work doesn’t mean that they don’t know much.

P.S. Tell Marcus I got an A in math and that I will be doing national tests and assignments to fullfill the requirements for math as well. My math teacher saw day one that I knew way too much to work in the 7th grade books and gave me high school book one to work with, which I avoid using a calculator in (even though you’re allowed to) so that the assignments don’t become too easy.”

Andra sidor i ämnet:

—- Min dotter leker på engelska på förskolan när hon är 4 år. En förälder kommer in och ser dottern. Föräldern vänder sig till pedagogen och utbrister, ”Inte visste jag att T:s mamma är engelsk” varpå min dotter vänder sig om och rättar föräldern, ”No, she is Swedish!”