A New Year

2008. It's funny how so much changes in the span of a year. When 2007 began, I was preparing for my last semester of classes. By September I began student teaching. For the first few weeks, I counted down the days. After a while I stopped counting. Eventually, I counted the completed days to have an idea of when I would finish. As this day approached, a part of me did not want student teaching to end. Earlier today (yesterday, technically) was the day. My last day of student teaching. I didn't sleep well the night before. As I walked into the High School on Friday morning, I wondered how the day would go. I kept reminding myself that I would still see my students when I returned to the school as a substitute. Then it happened... As I stood around pretending that my presence would help heard students to their first period classes, one of my students, Nicole, walked up and handed me a note. She said, "I can't look at you. I'm going to cry." Then she walked away. As I read her note, I could feel a lump forming in my throat. Nicole had forged a bond with me. Her Dad is going through chemotherapy and she would often share her feelings with me. I knew she was under a lot of stress brought on by her dad's illness and the extra responsibilities at home. She told me that every year she finds one teacher she can tell everything to and that I was that teacher. I was later surprised by a giant card from my classes. The students wrote me notes. I also received a poster some of them made. One girl gave me the comic book she was making about me. Leaving was not easy. I'm really going to miss them.

Later, in the Junior High School, I wasn't sure how I would tell my 7th graders. They are extremely energetic, so I was afraid if I told them at the start of class they would be distracted all period. I was planning to wait until the last few minutes. When those minutes arrived, I was surprised by them. My cooperating teacher pulled out a giant gift basket filled with various items, including personal notes from each of my students. I was in complete shock. When I though of becoming a teacher, I liked the idea of having a positive impact on the lives of the students. I never imagined the positive impact the students would have on me.

Goodnight.

-Sergei xo

Song of the Day:
Band of Horses - Detlef Schrempf