It's All Good

This week was teacher appreciation week.

As I teach in a low-income neighborhood at a school with an extremely high mobility rate, it's not unusual to go the entire week without a student or parent acknowledging that it's teacher appreciation week. I'm over it.

However, my principal did go to the trouble of making it a little bit special for us:

• Day 1: A nice little note and two reams of paper in our boxes
• Day 2: A little gift - a two pen set
• Day 3: A treat
• Day 4: A chair massage
• Day 5: A lunch of Subway sandwiches, carrot cake, and mini candy bars

And get this: one of my co-worker's fiance brought us Krispy Kremes and coffee for breakfast...just because he wanted to! It was super sweet.

But something happened to me today that was worth more than all the yummies and small tokens of appreciation from my principal.

I got a graduation announcement from a former student. It had the usual graduation announcement along with a small note inviting me to an open house to celebrate her graduation. But she also included a personal note. 

"Mrs. Thompson, Looking back I can recall sitting in your fifth grade class, loving every minute of it. I wish I could return to your classroom now as a senior...Your dedication to teaching has inspired me, and I would like to thank you for making such a difference in my education. I sincerely hope to see you on the BIG night :)"

I'm flattered. Happy. It made me cry. So many days I come home and beat my head against the wall. It seems I'm more of a dictator and a disciplinarian than teacher most days - and I know that was true with the class I had when she was a student - I remember some of her classmates! So, it's nice to hear that ONE person got something out of it. 

I can do this.

PS. This particular student once invited me to help her family brand cattle on their ranch. I totally did it. In fact, they gave me the job of tagging the cattle. I was given a gun with tags, told to be very careful not to hit a vein, and that was it! I admit I was nervous tagging the first few...but I figured out the safest place to tag them and I was on a roll :) That experience is one I won't forget...