My last one

June 2, 2008 is my last Monday as a teacher at Jordan High School. Actually, it's my last Monday as a teacher in Utah. Mondays are notoriously not our favorite. Why is that? Studies show that Saturday and Sunday lie-ins can disturb our body clock, leaving us fatigued at the start of the week. I better get to bed early! I'm sure we all have our own reasons. I've been thinking about it tonight and I don't know why I dislike Mondays.

I actually love what I do and it's not just about the math. I get to touch students' lives. I know some teachers may not feel as I do, but I truly believe that I make a difference. I love my students and I think some of them actually return that love. These kids deal with some serious issues and I don't know how they do it. I've had students shot and killed, commit suicide, hit and killed by a car, lose parents to cancer, have cancer themselves, go to rehab, have a parole officer, the list goes on and on. This week I spoke to a student of mine that is 5 months pregnant. She is a sweet young sophomore. I pulled her aside Friday and asked how she was doing. I actually said, "I'm going to be a mom for a minute." We hadn't talked about anything before, so she just said she was fine. I then asked when she was due. She smiled and said September. We didn't talk for long, but this young lady has decided to give the baby up for adoption. I don't know the process that went in to that decision, but I just hugged her and told her how proud I was of her (and yes, I was crying). She said that I was the only teacher to ask.

I told my students this week that I was leaving Utah to move to Ohio and be closer to family. They had some very nice things to say. I love what I do.