Inside Four Walls: class of 2010...out

Yesterday was the senior's last day of the year. And this is an interesting class. I really didn't know many of the students, but was able to get to know about 15-20 really well through their 4 years at the school.

Watching them leave is no different than any other year. You always wonder what is going to happen to them and if they will end up safe and ok. You see a few of them maybe once or twice over the next 2 years and then...nothing. It's rough, but I am starting to get used to it.

I will post more about my classes and year once it is all over next week, but I will talk about my TA's this year. They were all seniors and they were without a doubt the best group of TA's I have ever had. They were either parents of teachers, well respected athletes, or students with interests in law enforcement. Can't go wrong there. I had problems with my TA's last year and wanted to avoid that and I did. These kids were awesome. They were always there to help me and never complained.

As the year was coming to an end, my TA and I were talking about her high school years. It hit me that I was her first teacher in high school. We laughed about how I was her first impression of what high school would be like for four years. Well then it hit her that I would be her last teacher in high school because she was my TA for her last class of the day. I have never had that happen before and since I don't have a 1st period anymore I don't see it happening anytime soon. To think I was someone's first and last teacher in high school, which spans 4 years, is kind of amazing. By the way, our staff is about 100+ (before budget cuts) so it seems like a pretty improbable task.

Each one was a little different than the other, but that's what made them so memorable. I had a die hard Red Sox fan, great athlete (she won female athlete of the year) and a budding conservative Republican (she admitted she watched Hannity a few times to me), the jock who hadn't changed since his freshmen year when I had him (except he was a lot bigger now), the TA who would work hard and do everything and when she was done would go to sleep, and the liberal hippie TA who I suspect always knew I was right, but didn't want to admit it. It worked, it was like my own version of the Breakfast Club. I will miss these students and I know I can't replace them, but hopefully I can find some to do the job.