We spent our 4th at our friends Chris, Becky and Dominic's house. They just moved down to Gonzales to be closer to Becky's work. As you know (or may not) Nathan and I met while teaching at the middle school in Gonzales. It holds a very special place in our hearts, but even more so do the kids.
These kids were our first students as teachers. They taught us so much about: the profession, ourselves, the things we hate about teaching, the things we love about teaching, how to be a loving mentor, how to be fair and patient, being hopeful, how to get really mad at stupid behavior, how to laugh, how to speak Spanish (a little), how beautiful life in Mexico can be, how hard life in Mexico can be, rodeos, what the "soldier boy" looks like, how beautiful the song "Las Mananitas" sounds when your class of 30 sings to you on your birthday, how even though they seem like they are on Mars most of the time they really are listening to you, how a positive caring relationship can motivate a student beyond comprehension, how much a teacher can affect one child's life, how we've made a lasting impression on so many lives.......how much our students have made a lasting impression on us.
Nathan loves his job and is very good at it. My heart is torn with teaching right now because of all the rigmarole surrounding the profession at this time in history. But one thing is for certain....we love our students....we care for them like our own....we give them wings and have the highest hopes that they can soar to amazing heights and one day, ultimately, be happy.
We got to see so many students this 4th of July and it was a great pick-me-up for both of us. It is awesome to see their faces light up when they saw us and to hear that they are doing well. The blood, sweat ,and tears were worth it....
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