9th-Graders' Wisdom

Said to me very earnestly by one of my 9th-graders:
"Ms. C, you're my role model. But I don't want to be like you."

I often use the word "nerd" as a verb--like when students leave, I charge them to, "Nerd! Nerd! Nerd!" So one of my 9th-graders one day adds,
"Go forth and nerd!"

When meeting with one of my struggling 9th-graders, asking what else I could do to help, he answered, "Teachers can only do so much." I wish he could hold a press conference and tell the nation that.