This week's Student of the Week is Hannah R (thanks to her Mama for the lovely photo!).
I have been lucky enough to teach Hannah the past three years (PreCalculus 10, 11, and 12). However, I remember her clearly from grade 8. She was a member of Mr. Habibian's Math 8 class and he told me on several occasions what a hard worker Hannah was, and how desperately that she wanted to do well. In fact, her incredible motivation sometimes led to tears when things weren't going so well. I witnessed this on several occasions myself. Hannah has this ability to continue talking (or laughing) as tears stream down her face. It's pretty impressive. Personally, when the tears start, there is no talking possible. Anyway, I haven't seen it in a few years but it was always pretty impressive (and VERY endearing).
This is not to say that Hannah doesn't still have a dramatic flair. I can't count the times that Hannah has had me in stitches with her STRONG opinions on nutrition, fashion, celebrities, mathematics, etc. I do believe that Hannah has an opinion - and a DEFINITE one at that - about everything! And she is not afraid of sharing them with others! Some of my favourites include Hannah's views on avocados ("nasty!"), sharing mango slices from the same bag ("disgusting!!") and eating / drinking dairy (not printable here).
One thing that has stayed the same since grade 8 is Hannah's tremendous work ethic. She has had to miss significant amounts of class time on occasion, and every time she puts in the requisite time and effort to catch-up and perform well. I am so proud of her for never getting "too overwhelmed" or just giving up. It would be easy to do, at times, but Hannah just keeps working away. Very impressive!
Here are two instances that demonstrate Hannah's kind and caring nature:
- Hannah's sister has her own company - selling cool-looking bags (send me the website and I'll put the link here, Hannah). One day, after school, Hannah was telling me about it. It was obvious that she was very proud of her sister. She insisted - as only Hannah can insist - that I go home and "like" it on Facebook. When I informed her that I no longer had a Facebook account she immediately responded: "Well, get Zan to do it then!". Though she'd never met Zan before, I knew better than to deny Hannah... and Zan was happy to oblige. But the image that remains is Hannah's care for her sister (and her company).
- Hannah once came in after school was already out for the summer (teachers were still working) to bring me a yummy and (of course!) vegan dessert. It was truly delicious. And her gesture was so kind and unexpected (I thought all the students were in full-on "Summer Mode")... I'll always remember it!
Hannah, I'm so glad that I have gotten to teach you these past few years. You are an independent, unique and special person. I wish you good health, unparalleled success, and boundless happiness. Thanks for being such an entertaining and inspiring student!