A Thanksgiving Post

First, as usual, I’m apologizing to my neglected readers. I’ve had quite a busy month. I was working on a post awhile ago and scrapped it. It was a bit over the top and I suppose my blog would’ve been the wrong medium for the account.

In any event, Happy Thanksgiving. I was getting very nostalgic on the way home from work yesterday. This has been happening to me since I started teaching (never before). So, I called a few parents of former students to wish them happy holidays.

I first called Amy’s mother. She was so thrilled to hear from me. Amy is now toilet-trained! I was so excited to hear this. Of course, she was never toileted when I was teaching her, but it was nice to hear her progress. Her mother is trying to get her into a different school, which is her perpetual losing battle.

I then called Austin’s mother, who is doing well. She is renting her house out and getting her finances in order. Austin has applied for college and he’s getting his full tuition paid. This almost had me in tears. It was so great hearing that he was going to college. I told her we should get together after the New Year.

I heard from Jimmy’s mother on Sunday. She invited me to Thanksgiving dinner, which was so sweet. I had to decline, as I am going home to Delaware for the holiday. Jimmy is worse than ever, but she was calling just to talk, not necessarily about him. She’s going to be celebrating her 52nd birthday on Monday.

I tried calling Martin, one of my constantly truant students last year. He would show up to school, come to my class, stay for lunch, and leave. Because he lived close to my husband’s job, I would stop by his house on occasion to check up on him. His phone must be out of minutes because I got one of those recordings on the first ring. I hope he’s well.

I also ran into two former students coming out of work this past week. It’s always nice to see faces from my former school. With these kids, you never know if they are going to make it to see adulthood or even to 17. They live in a world that no one should have to, especially not a child.

There really is a lot to be grateful for this Thanksgiving. I have a wonderful husband and family. I am now working at a job that I enjoy, which is a wonderful switch from working in the DC Public Schools. I am especially thankful for my students, some of which have changed my life, some of which drove me crazy. Looking back, I see now that I will always be a part of them and they a part of me. I guess teaching is important, more so than I give myself credit for…Happy holidays!