Last night was graduation for the high school where I teach. It was a very emotional evening for me. Not only was my own son graduating, but also a group of seniors who have been very special to me. I’ve written a lot about my baby boy, and I will continue to write a lot more about him in the posts to come (much to his chagrin). So, this post is dedicated to the other seniors that graduated last night. As a high school teacher, graduation is always a special time. It is the culmination of all the hard work we, as teachers, have invested in our students. However, last night was more than that for me. This year, I taught an English IV Honors class for the first time ever. I enjoy teaching freshmen, and that has always been my niche. Four years ago, I volunteered to teach an English I Honors class for our school’s Art Academy. I loved every minute of it so much that, when they needed a teacher for the same students for their sophomore year, I willingly volunteered. During that year, I kept telling them that they were going to have to move on to a different teacher come junior year. They disagreed. Several of their parents even wrote to the principal and guidance counselor requesting that I stay with them their junior year. So I did. By the end of that year, I knew that I wasn’t going to give them up. Therefore, for a handful of those students, I was their only English teacher for all their years of high school. For the remaining students, almost all of them had been with me once before, and many of them at least twice. As if that wasn’t enough, many of the students in this senior class had ran either cross country or track with me throughout their high school careers. Talk about a flood of emotions! Watching my students and athletes walk across that stage filled my heart with pride. I have poured my heart into those students and am so proud of the young adults they have become. I have been blessed to have them in my life and am so excited to see what new adventures are in store for them. Congratulations, Class of 2013 and God Bless!
Words from the Long Run 