To 9M4 of 2018.

And any more who sat in my classroom before.

You’ve been in my thoughts a lot this week, and I cannot imagine the confusion and uncertainty that you must be feeling. It’s a challenging time for the world right now and you’re stuck in the middle with lots of questions and very few answers. In New Zealand, we are not currently in quite the same situation as the UK in terms of Covid-19 spread. Though I tell my students here about you and we talk about what it must be like for you all right now.

I know how hard you’ve been working and the stresses you’ve been under. GCSEs are a big deal and the three years you’ve spent preparing is no easy journey. Though remember always, an exam result will never define you. What defines you is your humour, your quirks, your kindness, your compassion, your openness, your smile and your individuality. You get to define who you are and the mark you will make in this world. Not a number on a piece of paper.

Your journey has not been wasted, or pointless. You have grown. Grown into the young people who are going to steer the future and grown into the young people who will inspire those around them and shine like no number on a piece of paper ever could. You have learnt how to learn, learnt how to work hard, learnt what works for you, and learnt a lot about yourself as a human being along the way. You have changed peoples lives for the better and will continue to do so. Friends, classmates and teachers. We laughed, we cried, through Pythagoras and factorising, and we grew together in those classrooms. Because of each of you, I am a better teacher. Because of each of you, I am the person I am today.

The pandemic means I won’t be able to visit and see you at your prom, but you have so much to celebrate from your five years at school name was here.

Stay strong, talk to each other, read a book, maybe even do some maths. But above all, be kind. To everyone. And remember, despite no exam, I am so very proud of all of you.

Your maths teacher,

Ms Skinner