Dear My Teacher:
Letters of Joy, Pain, and Triumph from Today’s Teenage Hmong Students
Edited & compiled by Pang Yang and Mike H. Vang
LC3501.H56 D43 2019
New Arrivals Island, 2nd floor
The students’ letters in this book were written to their teachers with the hope that by sharing their feelings on paper, the teachers could benefit from seeing the world through their eyes (p.1). These letters are also an opportunity for those of us who rarely have the chance to get to know the sincere wishes, dreams, and concerns of teenagers, high school students, recent immigrants, and first-and second-generation citizens.
The students who are learning the Hmong language for the first time share their anxiousness and excitement. Most of these teens write about their worry of meeting expectations of their parents and teachers. Many also share the sentiment of this student, who writes to their Hmong teacher, “Listening to your stories about your life and the struggle you went throughout your journey really inspire me to never give up” (p.53), attesting to the power of sharing stories.
For readers who are heading off to their first year of teaching or getting ready for Fall 2019 intern teaching, Andersen Library has numerous titles to inspire and provide tools for a first year in a classroom. Here are just a few:
