Highs... crafting, prepping for the holidays, planning the beginning of our family, time with dear friends. Today had a particularly sweet high point. I allowed one of my favorite students to turn in an assignment late today, not because he's a favorite, but because he is a very responsible, conscientious, and high-achieving student. This forgotten assignment was definitely out of character for him. So he turned in his vocab flashcards one day late. Problem is, I didn't have a special today and didn't get a chance to grade them. I found them in my turn in basket after school, but the vocabulary test is tomorrow. So I called his mom and offered to drop them off on my way home. When I arrived, they were so welcoming and so excited. My student gave me a complete tour of his home, including his room, his cat, and his gorgeous backyard. He even invited me to come back again to have dinner with his family. Not your typical 12-year-old behavior! You'd think I was royalty the way they treated me! Too sweet.
With the school year I'm having, I needed a reminder of how awesome students and their families can be.
But the lows seem so numerous right now too. One of my dearest friend's mother was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer and my heart is just broken for him and his family. Cancer seems to be everywhere right now and it's petrifying. My best friend's SO is going on dialysis because his kidneys are failing. Scary. Shannon is so worried about the economy, as am I, and wants to consider postponing (again) the start of our family. This may be the first year my whole family won't be together for Thanksgiving and I can't bear to think about it. Stupid blended family bullshit.
And my school year is kicking my ass. I have never had so many high maintenance students, or parents, in my career. Every day is just exhausting.. meetings, phone calls, voice mails, emails. I just want to scream, "What do you want me to do?!!!" I didn't cause the problem, I can't fix the problem. Like it or not, your child is going to *have* to function in the real world someday and it's our responsibility to start preparing them now. And I won't apologize for that.
Eh. It will all work itself out eventually, right? With hope, love, forgiveness, and prayers (though He's on my shit list right now), this too shall all pass. There's Glee on my DVR, Shannon on her way home to me, and this darling little project going into the scrapbook. It ain't all bad....
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