Wanderlusting (wanderlusting) wrote, @ 2008-06-13 15:40:00

A MESSAGE TO THE JUNIORS
My you have grown. Let me measure you.

Look how strong your writing is now. Look how much you look forward to challenging books filled with ideas and creative ways to express them. Your sense of aesthetics has grown by leaps and bounds and your ability to perceive the world as a series of subjective truths that need to be taken apart, examined, analyzed, understood, reprocessed and put back together will help you throughout your entire life.

Maybe your parents don’t even recognize you anymore when you try to explain how you think now...or they wouldn’t fully understand if you if you tried to explain the changes you’ve experienced.

You junior year is when you metamorphosize and become almost adult. I love that about you. You’re ready. During Senior year and you will take all you knowledge and talents and push yourself even harder (okay, until AP’s are over...who am i kidding!) and see what else you are capable of. It will be a year of college application drama, frustration, anticipation and finally relief.

This time next year, well, look at those lazy-ass seniors now and that will be you! Done!

Obviously I am sorry I wasn’t able to complete this journey with you, but I have monitored your progress from afar (remember, I have cable TV and I’m CIA surveillance equipped) and you know that I am proud of what you have done in a bumpy circumstance.

First off, I have to thank my brilliant colleague Dr. Schuetze-Coburn. I won’t go into all the ways he has made your Junior AP experience what it is...you already know. But also ask anyone of the Carson alumni who have gone to college, and they’ll say how eternally grateful they are to have been put through the rigors you all have.

On another note, I have to make a personal comment about something that I’ve always found pretty amusing. It is generally perceived that my class is the artsy, free-flow class and Dr. S-C’s is the analytical precision class. I don’t know how many of you know this, but you will find no stronger appreciator of music, dance, theater and art than he. As an accomplished amateur photographer, Dr. S-C has an extremely keen eye for aesthetics. He puts all his skill in the meticulous detail he uses to examine all your Deconstructions for “completeness” in their vision, harmony and execution.

And then there’s Ms. Bottlik. What more can I say about my beloved Ms. Bottlik except Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. And Thank you a thousand more times. Ms. Bottlik had the unenviable position of having to step into this role with very short notice, giving up another class in order to do so. And because she did, you all got to read two of the most memorable books of your lives. You were graced with her charm, her humor, her intellectual perspective and an extraordinary passion for life, adventure and art. Ms. Bottlik is the whole package. And beautifully wrapped.

As you frantically rush to complete your final journals, you college essays and personal deconstructions, we all hope that you keep expanding your mind and hearts into the world BEYOND school. This year, if NOTHING else, should have taught you that you and the outside existence do a symbiotic dance that starts when you are born and is (maybe?) over when you die. But enjoy the moves, learn more steps and pay attention to the beat.

Next year, YOU are the role models for EVERYONE in ASA. I think Carson is blessed with some extraordinary teachers. Many of you will be fortunate enough to have Ms. North for an encore performance. No teacher cares more about your achievements and your potential than she. Yeah sure she’s snarky, but don’t think you don’t deserve it. Sharp, funny, inquisitive, prodding...El Norte is your biggest cheerleader and will assist you in (almost) anything to see that you get to that goal you yourself may not be aware of yet.

That’s it. Have a good time this summer, stay on top of your summer reading assignment, sign my goddamned Blurty Yearbook page and grow even more, my intellectual Paul Bunyans.

When it comes to what we want you to be able to accomplish in terms of your eventual life’s satisfaction, you can’t be tall enough. Have a great summer and I hope you all get morbidly obese in knowledge, love and experience.

Monica G (Anonymous) 2008-06-13 19:24 (link)

LEIBS!!!!!!!!!! how are things? we miss you so much. im so grateful that i have wonderful teachers as yourself to help me through the way. i tell my mom each day, how much i love ASA, and how the teachers really care about us. its not very common for teachers at carson to get close to their students, and give them advice when they need it, and just to talk about life. i TRY to tell my mom about what we learned in your class, or in any class, and all she does is have an expression of confusion on her face. we have grown, academically, emotionally, spiritually and even psychologically. we have matured and are able to understand the world around us. ASA has opened our eyes to different cultures, traditions, and new ways of thinking. ASA is thee best academy. not to bag on the others, but they dont have what we have. we have close ties with each other, we are very close and connected. i just want to thank you for being part of this family that i love so much. i just have one question for you...are you coming back? i completely understand if you arent, you are doing good over there, but we miss you and i think the incoming juniors need to get a taste of the leib dawg!!!! well, whatever you decide, its fine with me. i wish you the best and keep me posted on everything that goes on. Thanks and hope to see you soon!!! love you. (Reply to this) (Thread)

awwwww..... (Anonymous) 2008-06-14 12:06 (link)

What nice things to say to everyone. We all miss you so much. The truth is, the pleasure was all mine having these wonderful 11th graders (who are actually my 9th graders - and will always remain so). I learned so much about what goes on in that mysterious year that precedes AP Lit. Now I understand a lot about how they become who they are as seniors. But seriously, what a great f*%^king set of 2 classes! Smart, funny, independent, and cool. Gonna miss them. Wait. I'll be having lots of them next year and reading their blurties this summer. Still, none of us will ever be in C30 again. sniff sniff. and that.... is a shame. All right. signing off for now because I have to grade those book journals!!!! (Reply to this) (Thread)

c00lbeans 2008-06-20 14:54 (link)

From James: Hey Leibner. Hope you come back because a third of my class schedule is dedicated to you! Everyone misses you, especially those who have you class right now. The substitute is so different. Your styles are different. And I haven't learned half as much as I've learned from you. Miss you! From Katie: HI LEIBNER! I MISS YOU! I can't thank you enough for all of the things you've taught me while I was in your class. I've always thought of myself to be an open-minded person, but you've taken my perspective to a whole new level. You're such an inspiration to so many people and I am no exception. You make me want to travel and you make me want to explore beyond what I'm comfortable with. My goals have changed drastically and you are the main motivator for such a shift. I don't know what I want to do in the future anymore because of you, and I'm happy because of it. Not knowing what's going to happen in the future makes life a whole lot more exciting. I know we didn't really get a lot of time to talk, but I just want you to know that when I change the world, I will hunt your ass down and thank you. :) MISS YOU! Come back soon. (Reply to this) (Thread)

anestazcia (Anonymous) 2008-06-23 01:36 (link)

Hi Mr. Leibner!!!!!!!!!! It's been so long...agonizingly too long since we've talked with each other. I remember the last time I saw you though. It was a Friday and you were running away from the C building. The same Friday you were supposed to have been gone if i remember correctly. Care to explain? :D Anyways...thank you Mr.Leibner. Thank you for everything. It's thanks to you that I realized what I want to do with my life. Also, you and ASA have opened my eyes to this crazy world. I've become such a different person and student through this academy and it's wonderful teachers. ASA has this wonderful ability to shape her students, mold them to be individual artist in a world that is a canvas, notebook, set, laboratory, audience, etc... It's thanks to ASA that I've become an artist. Ms.North taught me great poetry that I hope I can create one day. Ms.Bottlik opened a sort of Pandora's box-a jar i need to remind myself, a jar, not a box- with literature. Dr. Schuetze-Coburn-yes! i can spell his name without looking! :D- has taught me to be analytical and diabolically smart. And you Mr.Leibner...wow. Where do I even begin? It's incredible everything you contribute to ASA. Philosophy, art, truth, thought, and impression. It's all so amazing. Your words, every single one were no less than brilliant or thoughtful. All your 'crazy talk' was so interesting to hear and digest. Oh my gosh...I'm such a dork. How could i forget my favorite concept in class?! Deconstruction. Wow...that was such an amazing first in class. The alphabet...ha ha. And everyday after. Through art, books, movies...wow. It's such an amazing euphoria going through a set concept, breaking it down, and understanding the value behind face fronts. Again, this leads me back to what I want to become in life. To put it in simple terms, a philosopher. But more. A filmmaker, a writer, an artist. Thank you Mr. Leibner, for everything. My first novel or movie-which ever comes first-will be dedicated to you and the rest of the ASA family. With all my thanks, luv, anestazcia p.s.: you were right, my name is impacting. and forever will it be. p.s. 2: i hope you come back to Carson soon Mr.Leibner. we all miss you so much. but we're also proud of all your doing. ASA needs you as do future potentials though. I also need you. I'd love to discuss some scripts and ideas with you. I'd love your insight. (Reply to this) (Thread)

ROBYANN (Anonymous) 2008-06-24 00:59 (link)

Hey Mr. Leibner! Reading this post really made me feel better. This year is really over and I, as well as my fellow peers, have accomplished a lot! Wow, just reflecting on all the work we did.... No regrets, of course. Totally worth the sweat and pain. ;P I really hope I will be one of those alumni that will run back to you and Dr. S-C room's and thank you guys for this experience and preach to all the future juniors. Wow.. I can't imagine the day. haha. When I got my notebook back from Ms. North, I truly did notice a transformation in my writing style and an increase in the level of sophistication. My writing... was so..... juvenile. hahah. I'm actually glad, I learned about parallelism and all that other sentence structure styles. I still feel I haven't quite reached my goal, but you know me, always doubting myself. :P Junior year ended and it's so weird because I didn't really feel like any closure... idk. I guess I'm just not ready to be a senior. I can't believe I'm going to be a senior. :O I don't want to leave home just yet! I gratefully thank you, Dr. Schuetze-Coburn, and Ms. Bottlik for this awesome year. I now realize your true intentions of opening our minds--not just loading our plates with piles of work. I never before stayed up really late to finish an essay. XD probably shouldn't have said that, but hey you know we all did. haha. This was by far the most stressful year, and I've completed it! woohoo! Now time to be a senior! :O (Reply to this) (Thread)