June 7, 2010
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The Daily News
1 So...Rue McClanahan walks into a bar.2 <sigh>
3 They just keep leaving us, don't they?
4 So it goes, so it goes.
5 Moving on, Part the First: I think that one of my favorite things of late is watching my daughter Nicole finish up her student teaching. It is one of the most incredible things I've ever seen.
6 After having to jump through a thousand hoops, state standards, severe budget cuts, and anxiety beyond belief, she still focuses directly on her students, every single day. She lives for them, and has incredible teaching skills.
7 And now it is all coming down to the last week, and the good-byes begin.
8 She came home yesterday and they had taken everything off the classroom walls, something that I now refuse to do. We're ALWAYS told to do that, to tear everything down so that the classroom resembles a vacant apartment.
9 I realize the rooms need to be sandblasted or something, but really? If they're not re-painting, I think it's tough on kids as well as teachers.
10 To kindergarteners, it must be really disorienting.
11 In high school, it's always the first day in which the Seniors have disappeared.
12 Today is their last day. I have one Senior, my student aide, Vanessa. I got her a card and an iTunes card. She's been great, spending more time listening to me bitch about things than anything else. But she's been great, coming in each morning to my first class and just being there.
13 So I will be missing many Seniors I met in my first year, which was also THEIR first year. They supported me like crazy, and many of them went into Drama, and our Shows.
14 I'll miss them. Not like crazy, but every year...
15 The other night Nicole leaned her face into her hand and stared at the computer.
16 It had her kids each saying why they love Miss Harrington.
17 I wrote about it yesterday briefly, but she's been watching the toughest part of the year. Suddenly, kids who were a struggle earlier in the year are now learning, and cooperating, and giving back. One little girl really tugged at her heart, a very special girl named Rose. Rose sometimes acts on her emotions, but is bright and wonderful.
18 Rose has been a challenge, but a beautiful challenge all year. But she loves "Miss Hewington."
18 This morning I overheard Nicoley say, "I want to write a book called Touched by a Rose." I broke into a huge smile that had a tinge of pride in it. I also almost lost it.
19 That's the difference between Coley and me. I want to write a book called Ears and Braces.
20 Another difference is that I'll always want to write the book. Nicoley WILL write the book.
21 She made a DVD of her class, with Godspell songs playing under a collage of pictures. It's a karaoke version of God Save the People and All For the Best, with her philosophies about education coming up periodically.
22 Her philosophy?
23 Standards don't teach. Teachers teach. And students teach teachers.
24 Organized chaos isn't necessarily a bad thing.
25 A noisy room isn't necessarily a bad thing either.
26 Students don't need to be taught. They need to be engaged.
27 A teacher's relationship with a class should involve friendship, understanding, and humor.
28 I don't have the DVD in front of me, but it also included bubbles.
29 I'm so proud of you, Coley.
30 Next week will be pretty emotional, probably for both of us.
31 Occupational hazard.
32 Meanwhile, we got rain, and then blasting heat.
33 Have a beautiful weekend, y'all. And farewell Rue. Thanks for all the laughs.
34 Hope this DN wasn't too sappy.
35 Peace.
~H~
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