Where have you been?

Rachel, where have you been? Rachel's been wearing the invisibility cloak and has been replaced by Miss Clark.

Oh Miss Clark, how your worries and fears differ from your counterpart's.
When someone asks "What are you doing later this week?" My thoughts revert to: "Preparing my sophomores for their final test from To Kill a Mockingbird. I also need to create a rubric for my junior's presentations for 'The Federalist Papers'. We're getting started on DBQ's for the AP test and I'm really worried about how well they will catch on."
When someone asks me how my day was, it relates directly to whether it was an "A" day or a "B" day.
Miss Clark dominates the majority of my thoughts, and I kid you not, I've even caught myself unintentionally use teaching techniques on my friends.
With that said, Miss Clark will be temporarily taking a rest as of Dec. 5. I will be done student teaching. That's right, I've survived this far, I can make it 7 more days. But before that time comes to an end, I'm going to post Miss Clark thoughts. Feel free to stop reading. This may be just for me...


A week and a half ago, a student at my school took his life. He was not one of my students, but I had students that were heavily affected. When a student dies, it affects every student in the school because the grief and sadness is related to such a young life being taken away. This causes me to grieve. But not on behalf of myself, on behalf of my students.
Last Friday my school went to the semi-finals for state football. The odds were heavily against us, and in the 1st quarter, our QB broke his collarbone. In goes 2nd string QB which is one of my 8th pd. students. He played an AMAZING game, and in the last minute of the 4th quarter, the opponents scored a touchdown making the final score 45-41. All I could think about was how sad my student must have been, and how difficult that ride home for him was.
I had a student who's mother passed away at the end of the quarter. I can't imagine what that would be like to handle at such a young age. She's missed hardly any school, but it is apparent how much of a struggle she is going through. All I can do is tell her that I'm sorry for her loss, and give her as much time as she needs to make up work.

As I see my students go through hard things like this, it makes my heart ache for them. Because of that, I enjoy the happy moments all the more. If only I could give them a glimpse of the potential of everything that they are. Even my the students that make me want to scream. I want them to know that they are amazing, and that life will always get better. Laugh. Sing. Dance. Do whatever it takes to make yourself feel good for a little while, and always count on the fact that tomorrow will be better. Always believe that things can be better. Everyone around you is going through something hard, believe that happiness is worth it.

That's all.
Laugh, be happy. It's always worth it.