Retiring Izzy’s Notebook

As most if not (hopefully) all of you have seen, there are notebooks hanging from the ceiling of my classroom. And as most if not (hopefully) all of you know, those notebooks are there because their previous owners filled them up so much with writing so that they could no longer be used for this class. So, to acknowledge that – that they truly lived out their purpose for being crafted into being (to contain writing) – they are retired from usage and are displayed permanently; like a sports great whose number is retired from its organization, meaning no one can where that number again (for example, in baseball, the No. 42, worn by Jackie Robinson, has been retired by the league so no player on any team can ever wear that number again). It’s a sign of respect. And a thing deserving respect deserves a ceremony and this was the one we held for Isabel Prentice’s writer’s notebook late in class, during Period 8, on Friday, March 16, 2018. I always give a short speech, and Isabel wrote a speech, too (because I told her that students had done so in the past). Because she likes to write (obviously), it was lengthy, and if you watch the video you can see that she is rushing because we were running out of time. But it was full of thought and some good one-liners. I hope it’s not the last notebook to retired this year. As recorded by Jake (“Let Me Leave”) Colangelo:

(My speech:)

(Izzy’s:)

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About rcjockers

I am a middle-school language arts teacher in Connecticut. I like eating hot peppers from my garden, writing, and watching German soccer matches in the dark.

2 thoughts on “Retiring Izzy’s Notebook

  1. Salutations Izzy,

    That is really amazing how one can achieve something that is so rare. I myself don’t write in my notebook that much so I fall short when trying to fill up my notebook. Even though I wasn’t able to see your speech due to complications I can say that it would show your trail so others may follow you. You are a trial blazer and keep it up. 🙂 You can really achieve something great!

    ~Elisabeth Berg :3

  2. Dear Izzy,
    Great job! I can’t believe that you already filled up your notebook! Your hard work and great writing has payed off! Congratulations!
    Sincerely,
    Marissa S.

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