Summer reflections

It's been a while since I've written anything, for a number of reasons.

1. The spring semester flew by much faster than the fall semester did (and it always does).
2. With the graduation project requirement in place, there were a large number of things I had to do that I hadn't ever done before, which made them take a lot longer than they should have.
3. I was lazy.
4. I was also working on buying a house, so the internet took a little bit of a side burner (except for my gaming...that could never be put aside, or my sanity would go with it).

However, now that summer is in full swing and I'm back from my journeys abroad, I have more time to reflect on things and to start to mentally prepare for the next school year. Mostly, this preparation involves suppressing the voices in my head that repeatedly tell me I'm crazy for being a teacher and putting up with the things the school throws at me (yes, I include 'students' in with the 'things' that get thrown at me). Sometimes, though, there are actual positive things that solidify my belief that teaching is for me, such as the following note from a student I had this past year:

i had an awesome yr with you! you are the best english teacher i have ever had! i just wanted to thank you for your great teaching! thank you!

Granted, I apparently failed to teach her about capitalization, but it's still really nice to get positive feedback from the kids and know that despite their whining and complaining in the classroom, they did get something out of their time with me. These are the things that teachers work for. We know that not every kid will like us, or even learn from us, but we do it for the ones that we can touch in some meaningful way.