Graduation 2010

I have been to graduation ever year even when it was not required.   Graduation is my favorite ceremony of the year.  This is not because it signifies the end of the year and beginning of the summer vacation, or even because there are a few students that we are finally rid of (haha), but because it shows that the student's hard work pays off.  I primarily teach freshmen, and as freshmen many students are focused on school work, or even about graduating - it is a very long four years for many of them.  But seeing how the students change and mature over those four years is very rewarding and reaffirms the reason I teach. 

This year's graduating class was the second group of students that I taught.  The highlights for me for the ceremony:

• The counselor having to run under a closing garage-type door during the ceremony to keep open the path for The seniors to enter the stage
• The shoes
• The first year I sat among the students
• Jared, Morgan, Daniel, Danny, Katie, Cameron, Curtis, Travis, Shannon, Michelle, Haylee, Serafin, Jordan, Amanda, Taylon, Kevin, Miguel, Tyler, Danny, Brent, Jeremy and Zac
• The sermons, I mean speeches
• Being able to pick out Joe singing from the crowd - as usual
• Sneaking into the "after-party"
• The first year someone kept a stole that I will most likey not be paid for
• The first year of the ugly stoles
• BEING INSIDE!!! :)
• Standing on the couch with Chonte' to pass out diplomas

I hope all the seniors enjoyed their graduation, and I am looking forward to next year.

Heading back to work

After approximately three month out of the classroom I am heading back to work on Friday!  I have never really had a summer break, because I have always worked during the summers, so this was my summer break.  About half of it was spent in the hospital, but still it is a long time to be away.  I am such a control freak I am worried about what I will find when I go back ... but it has been nice to be able to take this time with the new little man in my life.  I am not cut out to be a stay at home mom, but wouldn't have traded this time for anything.

I am looking forward to next year.  It looks like we will have lots of changes in our department, and I am attempting to impliment lots of changes for both my classes, and I may be looking at taking on a new class for the upcoming year.

so much for plans

It has been a long time since I posted.  So much has happened.  Well, I posted on Sat 2-20 that I wouldn't make it much longer, and Wednesday 2-24 I wound up in the hospital because of preeclampsia.  I was on bed rest in the hospital until he was born 3-2-10.  He was 7 weeks early weighed 3 lbs 7.7 oz and 16 3/4 inches long.   We could only hold him for an hour every 3 hours.  My family carted me to and from the hospital while I couldn't drive.  Then I had my gallbladder taken out on a Wednesday, saw him at 6am that morning and didn't see him for 2 days after.  He was in the hospital for 4 weeks.

At his two week visit on 5-3 he weighed 8 lbs 13 oz and was 20 inches long.  He is doing well, and I have had almost a full 3 months off from school, I head back Friday.  I am looking forward to going back to work, but know that I will miss him lots.  But I will only have 5 school days without him.  Then he will go with me to my week of meetings and then he will go to swim lessons with us.