Letters to 2017
It's here! The time has come once again to mail off the Letters to the Future.
To the Scullen graduates of 2013, which is this year's high school graduating class of 2017, congratulations!
The Social Experience
In evolving with the times of teaching Health Education, I have continued to incorporate social media as an extension of my classroom. Online interaction keeps me in touch with thousands of other students, past and present. This portion of my website is dedicated to you, students of the past.
I continue to incorporate Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat into my Health class content.
You can find me on all outlets under my pen name: @ScottAmpersand.
The goal is that my profiles exist as a model for safe and appropriate use of social media.
"This is the future of America," I write every year. "This genuine approach to using technology to meet fundamental processes of life hits the same needs as always; the physical, mental, and social need for well-being is ever-present. It's the how, that changes. With the evolving world of technology, even the internet and social media will look different in years to come."
And so, here we are. Living in the future of your 8th grade experience, the present constantly becoming our past.
The Same. And different.
I still teach at Scullen Middle School in Naperville, Illinois, in the same classroom in which you sat back in 8th grade. Some assignments and activities stick around, others have run their course so that new ideas, articles, and video clips can suit the ever-changing teenage life.
I have had a successful year of teaching, and am honored to be awarded the 2017 Illinois Health Teacher of the Year. I am proud to be selected for such a distinction among the great teachers at all levels in the state. I have been presenting more at teaching conventions and traveling out of state to speak and give back to this great profession.
In personal news, life continues to change. I now have another son, who just turned 9 months, and he joins his three older siblings in the goofy Todnem household.
I continue to write as well as teach. My love of writing was in bloom well before I thought I'd become a teacher, and I constantly challenge myself with weekly prompts to allow for personal creativity and provide an outlet for my many thoughts on life. I've even taken the plunge and started writing a novel. Read all about that decision to "bite the bullet."
And so I urge you, young readers, to do the same. To write for yourself, and to share with others that which you feel necessary. I did this for you in your 8th grade year; I offered a chance to write to your future self. Ultimately some decided against it, and have nothing to be delivered in the mail this month, unfortunately. But if you're reading this, and you're one of the graduating alumni from the 2012-2013 Scullen school year, then well done. You did it! You wrote a letter to yourself, from your past, to your future. Not only that, you survived four years of high school, and we all know how tough that can be.
If you received your letter, you'll see my personal note and links to social media, and you'll also see I included a sticker to remind you of our Sticker Wall activity that we always did in 8th grade. Remember, you were motivated enough to put stickers on a wall...haha. That means, with the right motivation, you can do anything in life. So get to it.
After all, life isn't about finding yourself, life is about creating yourself.
Say "Hi!"
I encourage and challenge you to use whatever media accounts you have to send me a note. I know time is precious, but today, see if you can take time to let me know you received your letter-- send me a quick message, a picture, or anything you decide to let me know it has arrived. Use your favorite media outlet to connect on Twitter or Instagram or Snapchat if you are willing. Don't worry, I don't follow back. Your business is your business.
Use the hashtag #LettersToTheFuture and let me see what everyone is up to.
Want to write for me?
Please consider writing for my Alumni Page to share stories and give back to this world that we share. Contact me if you'd be willing to contribute! Or come say hi for a quick visit... my door is always open.
Congratulations once again, and I hope your letter finds you well.
Stay healthy, and enjoy life in the future!
- Mr. Todnem, May 22, 2017
Facebook: @MrTodnem
Twitter: @ScottAmpersand
Instagram: @ScottAmpersand
Snapchat: @ScottAmpersand