Dear Marlen,
This may be my last reflection letter to you but will not be my last letter overall. So..where has the fuck have the past two years gone? Because I sure as hell do not know! I have now died and rebirthed three separate times in your classes and I must say everytime it has been a wild experience. I never thought I could grow this much. This is my theory I have been working on:
Enlgish 101- This class was to get us out of the babying system that highschool, middle school, elementary all presented to us throughout our years and you shattered that by telling us to become independent.
English 121- This class was to now find yourself as a person through your own heroic adventure thus being that class and/or anything else. It was our time to grow into ourselves and find out who we truly are as human beings on this planet.
English 202- This class was unique in its own right. It was deffinately the most grown up of all three in that there was not a single moment in time for any slacking, procrastinating or lack a dasical bullshit because it would come back and just bite you in the ass.
That being said, from this class I will take away a new perspective on life in which you have gracefully given me for a thrird time. This class combined all the tools in which I have learned from you thus far into one cluster-fuck. It is truly about being confident in what you know you are good at, what you know you can do and what you want to do in life. Without confidence where does that put you? I think that is what you truly are asking me when you ask if I am a rapper. I am though and one day I’ll do something with it whether it be books, stories, or a whole album. Who knows?
Now to you sir…
I have told my story numerous upon numerous times. I can never thank you enough for what you have done for me throughout these past two years. You are the reason I am here in college today. I know you reading this saying, “No Brock, you’re the reason why you are here.”
But truly, without your class I’d be working 9-5 shifts at Mickey D’s with the kids from highschool instead I remain here wanting, thriving and flourishing for more knowledge each day. I see your leaving as a sign of sorts. We all are going to miss you but you have too good of a message to preach for us to be so selfish and wish for you to say. I want you to go change another loud, abnoxious, goofy, shaggy haired fuck-up’s life for the better…again. The best part is I know you will. I know someday I’ll tell my kids about this man named Marlen Harrison who changed my life on my journey, much like you do with your highschool English teacher. I know someday I’ll run into another student you have had and it’ll be like we are best friends because that is what your classes do for students. It not only makes us believe in ourselves but we want everybody to succeed because we all know the struggles eachother are going through. I never thought happiness could be achieved so effortlessly but walking into your class everyday for the past three semesters has been a perfect utopia.
When younger people ask me questions about life or things that I know I can help them with I always think of your class first. It gives me fuel to be a better person each and everyday. I want to live in the Nirvana of life and all of your classes always brought that. I want to use these teachings and pass them down to other people and they can pass them down again. Your knowledge will forever be everlasting Marlen.
You have been more like a father to me for the past three semesters than I can explain. I’m going to miss you Marlen. I am becoming teary-eyed in the library as I write this and I know I am rambling because I have so many things to say but can’t think of words because I’m just having so many thoughts throughout the past two years. I just want you to know that you have made me a better person and for that I thank you. I thank you for helping me in every instance that you did. I thank you for caring about me as a student and a person. I am not going to wish you good luck because then I would be implying you need it, but instead I want to say long live your spirit Marlen. Be free forever.
I won’t ever forget what you have taught me.
Sincerely,
Brock Andrew Kawana
