A GOOD DAY

There is a thought that kids today aren't really good like we were. I plead guilty to saying this. A few days ago, we had our school talent show. I always look forward to this because it's amazing to see your students exhibit talent that is off the charts. We have kids who sing like birds and play music and the whole gambit. We took our classes and they enjoyed seeing their classmates perform. Lots of talent. The students were respectful and enjoyed the show. We were very proud of them. A lot of family members complimented them on their demeanor. That's good.

The real story was that the next day the special education students had their talent show. Attendance wasn't mandatory, but a lot of the students wanted to go. Frankly, I was suspicious that they wanted to go to get out of class. When I took attendance I told them that we could go, but I cautioned them that if they didn't respect these students I would make their life miserable. I wanted them to give the special education students the same respect they gave to their other classmates.

Long story short, the student body was awesome. They cheered, they participated in the "Knock" "Knock" jokes, they clapped along with the singers, in short they overwhelmed we faculty with their respect for these students. I am not ashamed to say that most of the faculty present were a little teary-eyed. Sometimes you are glad you're in education.

Today, we had our "Mock Crash." For those of you who don't know what that is, it is a scenario that depicts a serious car crash in which students portray the victims. Our prom is tomorrow so this is the time to give the students a reality check. The local police and fire departments assist us in depicting this horrific scene. Even better the helicopter from one of the local hospitals responds and transports a "victim."

Again, our students were respectful and really absorbed the lesson of the crash. The last part featured a mother who lost her son in 2007 to a drunk driving crash, speaking to the students. She related the facts of the crash to them and how much she missed her son, especially with mother's day on Sunday. I struggled with my emotions the whole time. I watched the students and I saw a lot of emotion and attention. The topper was that standing next to her was a young man I thought to be a brother of her son or a friend. He was the driver of the car in which her son died. That certainly was hard to take. He spoke and the students were as stunned as I was. She is a hero who is a true Christian who forgave the driver. I don't think I would be that forgiving.

The third part of my good day is that my Advanced Placement US History students took their AP test today. We usually do OK but not overwhelmingly well. We studied last night in a group from 3 PM to after 9:30 PM in my room. I talked the whole time about history from 1492 to the present. My students and my wife weren't surprised that I could talk that long.

On their first break the students ran back to my room and told me the multiple choice part seemed familiar to them. I told them that's good. After the test they ran down to my room to tell me that the essays were all about things they knew. They were pumped. I saw one of the girls in my class in the hall and asked her how it had it gone in the test. She looked at me and said "You always talk about sports, so I'll say this, I hit a grand slam today."

OK, I'm a teacher. I wouldn't have it any other way. I am proud.