Love Thursday

I love that my job puts me in contact with so many different people. As frustrating as it can be sometimes, I am always inspired by some.

Tonight we had Open House at our school. It was a great chance for students to come and meet me and see the room before school starts. I had 6 families out of my 16 students. Not great but about average for other's that I have talked to.

I have had one of the families last year. Last year I had the big brother. This year his little brother. The big brother was one of my favorites. He's incredible intelligent. I had him tested for gifted and was told that his IQ was through the roof. He is also ADHD and awaiting a diagnosis. Add brains and hyperactivity and you have a fun person to be around. Try to teach him, well that's another story.

The mother of the boys came running up to my classroom and told me that she was so happy that I was going to be her sons teacher. That she loved me last year and that she was so excited when she read the paper, that she ran straight to my room. She also told me that her youngest son seem just as bright as the oldest but has been taking medicine for ADHD for over a year and didn't have problem last year. :) She also told me that she had a giant tank of guppies at home and that she would bring me some to start me tank.

It was great to know that I was appreciated last year and made me feel good that she trusted me enough to teacher her other son.

I had another parent from last year stop by. She wanted to thank me for everything that I had done for her son. This is the mother that complained about me. This is also the mother that took her son to the doctor to prove me wrong and while she was there she learned that he was so sleep derived that it was severely effecting his memory.

Her son had surgery this summer and had his adenoids removed. He now no longer snores and is getting the sleep that he needs. We talked about what a great year he was going to have now that he was feeling better.

I'm glad that I pressed this mother. Her son needed help and once she got past that idea, she was able to get him the help that he needed to really show the great kid that he is. Now if she'd only tell my boss this and not just me.

The other person that I wanted to share about is my new teaching partner. She went to college to be a teacher just after high school. It was the 70's and teaching jobs were hard to come by. She started working at the post office and by the time teaching jobs were becoming available, she decided to stick it out because of the retirement. She worked 25 years at a job that she hated.

She was a single mom of two and she did what she had to do for her family but she always dreamed of being a teacher. She retired from the post office last year and this is her first classroom.

I was at the pharmacy last night and got her a card. It was a fancy one. At least by my standards. It played that song, Shinning star. "Shinning star for you to see, what your life can truly be." I had to get it for her. The outside said something simple that congratulations for all your hard work. The inside said something like it's time to shine. I thought it was perfect. (Especially considering the lack of you worked 25 years in a job you hated but now get to live your dreams cards. )

I just wrote something like, you will be great and signed my name. She opened the card and started to cry. :)

She said that she didn't think that I had even remembered that she had told me her story. I told her that her story was very special to me because everyday my husband goes to a job that he hates because he needs to take care of his family. He gets up and goes and does a great job because he has too. It's not his dream but her story gives me hope that someday he will be able too. I just hope it's not after 25 years. But I'm thankful that he does it.

She started crying a little harder and said how she is so truly thankful. She was a single mom and did not have someone to thank her. She didn't have someone to say how much they appreciated that she did it. She didn't do it for the thanks but for her children but it would have been nice.

I told her that I wouldn't give her a hug because then we would both be crying and it wouldn't look good if a parent came in and saw two teacher crying. :) But after the parent's left I went back over to her side of the room. She was cleaning up and her back was toward me. When she turned around she had tears in her eyes. She looked around the room and said, "This is my classroom."

I love that I get to meet so many different people and get to share their lives.

Now just remind me of this in two weeks when I'm complaining.