April 26, 2010
Final letter to Professor Gharabegian
Dear Professor,
Where shall I begin? I will begin this letter a little bit further back than the first class meeting. There is deep significance in the past. A little over a year ago, I literally awakened to an extreme pain in my stomach. It was an agonizing , sharp pain which left me immobile and listless. I was later hospitalized, yet when I finally left the hospital, there was more than a physical healing that had occurred. My spirit had finally stopped it’s flight of expectations, and had come back to me. It sad to say, but I had to be hospitalized to just “stop”. I had allowed my life to become a stagnant pool of deferred possibilities, filled with dance recitals, basketball practice, science projects ( a seemingly endless stream of familial responsibilities as a wife and mother), and monotonous days of mail delivery. My joys had been cemented into my children and their possibilities. Where had all my days gone? It was the answer to that question, that prompted me to apply to New Jersey City University the week following my release from the hospital. I have set out on a path to find “me” again. A somewhat dated notion, but liberating one for me nonetheless.
I say all that, to fast forward to present day. Upon registering for your class, I was prepared to be required to read a long list of children’s books, that although timeless, would not relate to me as an individual. I have been gleefully mistaken. I forgot about the joy of reading I once possessed before life had taken it’s hold temporary hold. The coming of age novels that we have read have given me the understanding, that they can also be read as coming of “change” novels. Change , brings with it many of the same things that puberty and aging bring. These include fear, loss of perceived safety and deep contemplation of one’s purpose in this world. At my age, I still know all these feelings well, now as before. They are resounding feelings which change in nature but exist nonetheless. What have I learned in your class? A simple question with a layered answer. At the immediate level, I have been reintroduced to classic children’s novels, as well as a few previously unknown to me. With your instruction, I have learned to closely analyze the text, thereby extracting important information that will allow me to fully understand the work at hand. I have appreciated every day of instruction. The extra insight and possible lesson plan ideas will be of great use in the future, I’m sure. The numerous poems from my fellow students was also a great idea, which I plan to take advantage of as soon as