Anyway, I woke up with a pounding headache this morning, but figured I could handle so I went in to work. Right after first hour, a very nice young man came into my room and asked me if I remembered Savanna. He then told me he was Savanna's brother and handed me a card from Savanna, who is currently serving an LDS mission. Savanna was one of the brightest and most talented students I have taught, and I found it so touching that she found time to remember me at this time of year. Tears came to my eyes as I read her brief message expressing her love and gratitude for me; definitely a little thing to be grateful for.
Right after Savanna's brother left, my sweet husband brought me a Coke, and I relaxed for a few minutes in my room before I went down to the assembly. I finally felt like my headache was under control and I went down to the gym. I watched two students have a tarantula and a snake crawl on them, and The Dance Company performed their Grinch routine. By then, my head was starting to hurt again, so I went back to my classroom. While there, I was grading revised book reports that my students had not done well on the first time around. I was so grateful today as I was grading that this time around the majority had listened to me, read the directions and the rubric, and drastically improved their essays. My students really are smart and wonderful when they apply themselves! This was the third little thing I was grateful for today (the second being the Coke my husband brought me).
When the assembly was over, I fortunately had my prep hour, so I was grateful for that as well. I was actually able to grade one full class periods book reports, and then my aids were able to record the scores for me in third period (fourth little thing to be grateful for). However, by third period, my headache was back (I took Excedrin migraine, but it didn't work), the band was out in the commons area practicing and we could hear them in my classroom at the other end of the school, and one of the science classes was in the hall conducting a lab. Needless to say, it was not very quiet at all! My poor students were trying to write a defense argument for Frank Shabata in O Pioneers, and all we could hear were trombones and students laughing in the hall. I wanted to give up, so I can imagine that my students felt the same way. About twenty minutes before class ended, amidst the noise, I heard a knock on my door. I looked at my students and said, "This better be good!" I opened the door, and it was good! There stood my sweet Skyler, who is now in college in Tennessee, and she is home for the holidays. Not only was she there, but she handed me a beautiful nutcracker that looks just like me. Of course, this was the fifth little thing I was grateful for. Skyler came in and spent the next twenty minutes visiting with me and updating me on her college success. It was wonderful to see her! Before she left she gave me a hug, and she promised that she would stop by my house before she heads back to Tennessee in the new year.
By the end of fourth hour, I was full of gratitude for the little things. I forgot to mention that Fridays in December are Ugly Sweater Days, and I won the contest for this week. My co-workers definitely make the high school a fun place to me, and little things like Ugly Sweater Days help add to the fun. I came home with my mind full of thoughts of how lucky I am to have such an awesome job and to be grateful for the little things. I know so many times teaching feels like a thankless job, but it really isn't. I was reminded today that there are little things each day that make my job the best job in the world, and I really am grateful for the little things.
No comments:
Post a Comment