The good and the bad

Day 1: Fork

It's been quite the week so far. The Superbowl was on Sunday, so I got very little sleep. I also didn't get much sleep Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, for various reasons, so here I am exhausted on Thursday. I also thought yesterday was Thursday, so it's a real bummer that I have another Thursday to get through.

Although the week has felt long, some nice things have happened. After having a bad day on Tuesday, a student from last semester came after school to chat. We got to talk about all sorts of things, and it brightened my entire day. Each time I talk to these students, I feel how important they are to me--in little ways.

Yesterday, I got the nicest e-mail from a parent I've ever received. Not only did she thank me for everything she did for her daughter (including details--she really knew how much I had done in class!), but she also copied it to the principals for them to take notice. It was one of the nicest things someone has ever said to me, and I was almost in tears. It made me realize teaching is important, but it is still a thankless job most of the time. It's when you're not expecting a thanks when it really touches you. This also happened right after I had a rough day or two, so it always feels like our Creator has a way of making life easy enough to handle--never too much.

This morning, a student came by to see me this a.m. who used to come by every day during first semester. We got to chat a while about his new semester and what he's been up to. I've mentioned this kid in the blog before; he feels like a little-brother figure, and I'm so excited to see him graduate this year. I think I might cry. His class was the first I ever taught back at my hometown.

In other topics, I'm doing a photo challenge for February. It's meant to be fun; most people just post something from their phones, but I'm trying to take really great photos. I haven't had the time to get to them each day (which is kind of the point), but I'm catching up as I go. It really forces me to get creative. So far, I've come up with some shots that I'm really proud of. It's amazing what I can learn with technique while taking a picture of a fork or an egg.

Lastly, I've finally started reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. So far, it's good. I really like the little girl character in the beginning, and I like to see her point of view. Stories with the child's perspective always fascinate me...and make me want to write my own book.

That's all for the update today. I have a lot to get done today, and this is only the beginning!

Tomorrow is Friday. Friday. Friday.