Thursday, February 24, 2011

Oh, how I love pancakes.

A few people have recently asked me if I miss teaching. 

Quick back story: I graduated from FSU, moved home and got a job at a local high school. I taught English until I gave birth to my second child last year. Technically, I am still "out on maternity leave".

The short answer is "HAHAHAHA. No." 

My real thoughts and feelings about it are always going to be complicated. I loved teaching... and, not to be completely self-centered but, I was really good too. No matter what my schedule looked like, or how I panicked when I tried to figure out how to pronounce some of the names (punctuation in a first name is totally unfair to the teacher), I truly loved my students and enjoyed seeing them. My students made me happy. They are the reason teachers go to work everyday... believe me, it's not the paycheck or the administration. 

But when I think of teaching, I think of pancakes. Always. 

This one particular class of students... I had three sections of these kids when they were sweet sophomores. During that particular school year, I got engaged. And right after school ended for the summer, Shane and I were married. These three groups had such a fantastic sense of adventure and a zest for learning that, I am sorry to say, just doesn't appear to exist anymore. They were so creative with their projects and almost always far exceeded my expectations.

Two years later, a nice number of them ended up in my AP Lit class. Since about 75% of the class had had me two years prior, we didn't need to spend a lot of time on housekeeping stuff. There was a wonderful relationship built-in on day one. We were ready to get the year started. Their senior year brought joy and sadness. I gave birth to my first child in late December. It seemed fitting for the group I was teaching when I got engaged and married to be in my class when I had my first child. 

Unfortunately not all things are wonderful. We lost one of our own in January. He will never be forgotten, and he was one of the most magnificent students I have ever taught. It was an honor to know him. 

I won't explain the pancake thing. Suffice it to say, it was a fantastic social experiment sparked by a literary discussion that lasted (literally) until my last day of teaching in January 2010. Pancakes will forever be a part of my life. I won't eat them without thinking about these kids. I can't watch an IHOP commercial without smiling. And whenever someone asks about my teaching career, or the best memories I have from it, I will think of pancakes. 

This sign made me laugh. I had to include it. 

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