I first started teaching Juliana in grade 10 (and every year since! Yay!!). One of my first memories of her is her telling me clearly (and emphatically) how she "really didn't learn anything last year. Me and the [the grade 9 teacher] did not get along. I hope I do okay this year, etc". I remember thinking to myself: "I'll have to make sure I help this girl out a lot. The poor thing does not seem to be very confident with her mathematical ability". This now seems ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS!!! Juliana is a fantastic math student! She sets very high standards for herself and, more often than not (or to be more accurate: almost always!) she meets (or surpasses!) them.
I will say this, however: even though she was a very good Math student in grade 10, Juliana has shown an incredible amount of improvement over the past three years. I find this very inspiring: for someone who is already successful to put in the time and effort necessary to take things to a whole new level! We can all learn from this. Be happy and proud of areas of your life that are going well. But keep looking for ways to expand them even further! Way to go, JCM!
Juliana's success is largely due to her incredible work ethic. My student teacher (Mr. Mak!) made an interesting comment this week: he stated that "university is largely an exercise in and a test of one's work ethic". I would agree wholeheartedly; if you want to do well in post-secondary education you will HAVE to work hard. And, it is for this reason, that I know that Juliana will do great! She has a history of hard work, and not just at school. She has told me stories of how many times she works (at various restaurants) throughout the week (my favourite was when she used to work WITH her mom! How cool is that?!). Sometimes she works two jobs in the same day. Morning shift after night shift. Seven (or more) days straight (in the summer). It's pretty impressive (and makes me feel pretty lazy).
Here's something interesting you may not know about Juliana: she is a member of the world's most attractive family! Okay, that may be an exaggeration but, seriously, get her to show you the pictures from her recent trip to Colombia (her homeland!). Everyone - Juliana, her mom, her aunts, cousins, grandparents - look like they stepped out of a Dolce & Gabbana ad... like this one:
For years now, Juliana has always called me "Wadge". Not "Mr. Wadge" ever. Simply "Wadge". She is not the only student to do this. Over the years, I have been called "Wadge" by many, many students. Some people (adults) find it disrespectful but I have never thought of it that way. For most students, it seems to amuse them; it's a slight twist from what one would expect I guess. But when Juliana calls me "Wadge" it always seems to be spoken with affection. Perhaps I am wrong (very possible) but it seems like she uses "Wadge" because it is a friendlier, more genuine form of greeting. I really love it!
One final word that I believe describes Juliana well is sensible. I wasn't sure if this word was the one I was looking for but when I saw the list of synonyms offered by Google, I was like "that's totally Julian!". Check out this (partial) list: responsible, reasonable, rational, logical, balanced, grounded, no-nonsense, pragmatic, levelheaded, thoughtful, down-to-earth, wise. YES!!! So "sensible" it is. Who knew that it was such a meaningful word?
Juliana, it has been an absolute joy to teach you. Thank you for always being so personable and warm with me. I am so proud of you for always challenging yourself to do your best. I know that this has not always been easy but you have certainly risen to meet every challenge. You have the smarts and the work ethic to be successful in whatever field you enter. But, more importantly, you also have the character and the values to live an extraordinary life. I know that you will!