When I taught at West during the 2005-2006 school year, I had several freshmen in my Intro to Speech class who I just adored. I had taught most of their older siblings, had great relationships with their parents, and looked forward to watching those freshmen grow throughout high school.
And then I got a letter in the mail, a letter from Bowling Green State University, accepting me into their Popular Culture Graduate program, fully funded.
And then I had a choice to make, and it wasn’t easy. While I loved my time in Ohio, and I’m so glad I went to grad school there, occasionally I still feel pangs of regret about leaving those freshmen behind.
Those freshmen graduate next Saturday. And even though I only taught them one year, they still gave me graduation announcements and invites to their graduation parties. They still stop by occasionally to chat, say hello to me in the hallways, introduce me to significant others.
I miss that part of being a speech coach.
I don’t miss the all-day Saturday tournaments, the late-night Friday tournaments, the constant worry about finding material for students to compete with, the frustration at always finishing 5th at tournaments, never higher (5th out of 28 or 30 teams is still fantastic, I’d tell them).
But I miss the kids. Kids don’t usually bond with teachers who force them to read books and write essays and learn vocabulary.
So this whole year, I’ve been telling myself that my new job is a trade-off; I sacrificed that student bonding for my weekends and sanity. But then tonight, one of my students who I’ve forced to read books and write essays and learn vocabulary sent me an email to share the good news about a track meet performance. And it’s a reminder that maybe I’m doing more than I realize.
Now off to do the four hours of work I brought home in 2 hours’ time.
I think you are doing more good than you realize!
Sometime I should tell you about MY speech coach! As an adult, I look back on those 4 years and feel somewhat frightened that she had so much influence over my adolescence. Let’s just say she was not a very stable woman.
(My primary events were domestic extemp and duet interp.)
Goood luck with your 4 hours of work!
Of course your doing more than you think, you are an amazing teacher. I too feel overwhelmed with the end of the school year. I keep freaking out that I haven’t done all the things I need to do. But you can do the four hours of work in two because you are a real super hero!