Welcome to Englishland!

Anyone whose goal is 'something higher' must expect someday to suffer vertigo. What is vertigo? Fear of falling? No, Vertigo is something other than fear of falling. It is the voice of the emptiness below us which tempts and lures us, it is the desire to fall, against which, terrified, we defend ourselves.

Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being

I adore Kundera's ability to sucker punch me with an idea so challenging I am forced to sit back and ponder its implications.

As you prepare to "something higher" this year, my lovely students, please take a minute to think about this quotation. I implore you to resist the urge to let fear consume you. I've been doing this longer than I'd like to admit (has it really been over a decade already???), and I can tell you that most of you are scared. Are you really as bright as your parents/teachers/friends/secret hopes have told you that you are? Oh no. What if you aren't? Maybe you should just give up now. Cheat. Skim. Jump into the abyss of laziness. If you don't really try, you'll never know if you aren't capable of success.

You'll also never feel the tremendous rush of overcoming obstacles, the freedom of giving your best come what may. You'll wither. Please resist the urge to give up before you begin. Please start this year knowing that you're not alone in any of these fears, and that you won't be alone in battling them either. One step at a time, slowly, you'll find success as long as you keep trying, and I can't wait to celebrate with you when you do.

-Ms. M.