Amazing how ____________!

End of another day of school. I emailed all my former students today - at least to the best of my ability... as yet another reminder that they need to get a move on life after high school. I'm not sure sometimes why I go to the lengths I do. I get pretty attached, want to see the best of life for them, and know it isn't my job to hold their hands (so to say) each step of the way. I want to see where they end up, to know what they've done with their lives. It's strange how drastically different I feel about last year's students to ones before. My first year, in the old high school... wow... what a strange/shocking/dismal year that was. I was expected to do something grand, without a plan, without a clue, and with nothing there for help. Sure, I had some people to help... but they knew just a bit more than I did on the subject. It's pretty fun to see where it's heading.

Although... it still can be a challenge to hear from kids all the time that the class is boring, doesn't really help them with anything, and that they think it will all disappear. I guess in a way I take it personally... until I remember that I once didn't have a clue, didn't bother to learn any of this stuff, and had even less information available to me to figure it out. I did, however, have very demanding parents on it...and drug my feet the whole way through it. I've become them somehow though. I'm tracking down students... getting on their cases about life after June 10 2005... figuring out how to motivate them to succeed. In the end, it isn't up to me ... I just have to inform them. I wonder though if it really helps... Hindsight is 20/20 they say. Will these kids be able to tell me that in a few years they actually used something from all this? Will the negative thoughts about a class that is supposed to be so easy they can do it without me later actually turn to grateful appreciation for a chance to do something that will help after our ways seperate? I'll wait in hope, and look for some positive signs later.

So a bunch of kids either skipped or had some forged early dismissal slip about getting out early... all to go play Halo 2. C'mon... you have an extended break coming up.

So this weekend John Reuben is playing in Chambersburg, at the Y. Ohhhh, and Hawk Nelson ... fun lighthearted punk. See the flyer. Should be fun. Show is from 7 - 10pm and FREE!

It's kinda nice to look back on life... see the hindsight of it all... to remember all the strange things that happened that I always felt so self concious about - like the time Curt knocked on the bathroom door in my 2nd grade classroom when I was so sure he'd just open it in front of the whole room and to learn later he was just tapping on the table trying to make me paranoid or something... or the girl on the bus that wasn't the prettiest to tell me that my face resembled a garden tool.... or the way my feet move - oh I hate that... or all the times I've spilled something on myself... or how I said something totally wrong during Sunday school when I was about 9.... yeah... being human can be mortifying. Good thing I got over that mostly.... living life to enjoy the good and not be overcome by the awkward or bad times is key. Who knows, maybe one day I'll even overcome my problems with being too blunt and not tactful enough.