Friday, May 8, 2009

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.

14 comments:

Texas Truth said...

Congrats for a great bunch of experiences. Sometimes my studnets also amaze me. On those occasions, I know WHY I became a teacher. Perhaps becuase we get them so few and far between makes them so much more special. CONGRATS AGAIN FOR A GREAT POST AND FOR YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Law and Order Teacher said...

TT,
Thanks for the visit. I am amazed sometimes too. These kids are our future. It's good to know that sometimes we have a good future. Just a thought.

Joe "Truth 101" Kelly said...

I have a couple close relatives that are retired teachers. Unfortunatly, their memories of their teaching years aren't good listening. I'm glad to read your good teaching stories.

Continued success.

AmPowerBlog said...

You're awesome, Law and Order Teacher, and so are your kids.

I've been using comment moderation off and on, so if your comments don't come through right off the bat, that's because I'm out and away from the blog. A lot of the radical leftists have been picking up my posts, and they send their attack trolls my way.

Comes with the territory...

Hope your prom night went well...

Z said...

I wish more teachers had your good experiences; I hear too much horrid stuff. And, I only have to walk by the local high school to be horrified, believe me ..sadly.
BUT, I'm going to hope this is more typical than I expect and be optimistic!

This was a wonderful post and I only find myself wishing I could sit and listen to "America from 1492..." with you talking!

Thanks, L&0.

Brooke said...

I'm glad it went well!

Tapline said...

L&O teach,,,,3/4 of all the thanks we get from students come with their achievements and them coming back to inform us of their success and plans for the future...Great post and it shows that you enjoy your work.....stay well

Law and Order Teacher said...

K&GT,
I have many more positive than negative experiences. I love my job and look forward to every day. Thanks for the visit.

Dr.D,
Thanks for visiting. I've been noticing the increased crackpot posts. I especially love the really long screeds. I hope they feel after that purging.

Z,
Talking to my fellow teachers gives me mostly positive talk also. There are the moments when you are at your wits end, but it goes away. I could talk history all night and day. I love to talk about it and it is a joyous experience. Thanks for the visit.

Brooke,
As we teachers know, we always hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Thanks for the visit.

Tap,
Thanks for the visit and your always wise ruminations. The little expressions of gratitude are indeed worth hearing. That makes it alright.

Bloviating Zeppelin said...

Humble is good. But I can also tell the big difference with you is that you CARE about your students and you're HONEST in your teaching.

BZ

Pamela Zydel said...

My mom is a retired teacher and my sister-in-law is a principal. I love hearing positive stories. My mom has a lot of nice, positive stories and she tells them to my boys (I've heard them already). Teaching is such an honorable profession and it's much grander when the teacher is as vested as you seem to be. Kudos to you.

Law and Order Teacher said...

BZ,
Thanks for the visit. I can't imagine doing this job if you don't care about the kids. Go get another job if you don't.

PDH,
Thanks for the visit. I care about the kids. I wouldn't do it if I wasn't. Couldn't go in everyday if I didn't care. I'm not too different from most teachers.

PRH said...

As the parent of a Special Needs adult, and the husband of a Special Educationn teacher(who really had a nice conversation with you at our Vietnam Reunion Steve)...I appreciate this post and your views.

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