The Difficulties of Being a Teacher in the Spring...

Alfred Lord Tennyson
There's an old adage that goes like this... "In the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love." I think that I could very easily add to that thought. If I could be so bold as to be allowed to add my own words to Alfred Lord Tennyson's, I would add "...or anything else that doesn't involve being in a school building when the skies are blue and the world is beautiful."

In other words, one of the most challenging tasks in the world, in my opinion, is to maintain focus and keep students moving forward in school when they are thinking so much about summertime and college, and a million other things. The good teachers just don't stop trying though. I have determined that my students will drive forward until the very last day. I don't plan to quit on them, so I strongly hope that they won't quit on me. I have planned some very challenging and dynamic projects for the end of this school year, and I am really excited about them. One of them is the "Jam for Japan", a fundraising effort here at CCE that combines music and art in our atrium that we hope will aid the suffering families of our friends in Japan. One of our students, junior KK Lalani, summarized it beautifully:

"At what point does it become okay to stop caring? After disasters, we start projects and collections, but within a month or two, we forget the destruction and people of those places and go back to our own lives. When does help stop? Unfortunately, the people in those war or disaster-torn places aren't able to move on the way we are. They are still homeless, helpless, and will ultimately be abandoned - unless we do not forget them. Our goal is to continue to give support to the ruined coastline of Japan by raising all the money and support we can. This fundraiser will be held in June, and all the money made will be sent to the people in need.
Homes were destroyed. Families were torn apart. If there is any little action we could take to bring aid to the people of Japan, we should put all of our effort into it to help. For them, all hope was washed away. Millions are living without power, food, and basic needs that all of us take for granted.
Please, open up your hearts, and Jam with us to support the people of Japan."

We are also in the beginning stages of planning our Media Arts Review in conjunction with the students of the Dale Jackson Career Center the week before our seniors graduate. It is a bittersweet time of the year for all of us. I will have to say goodbye to some students that I have worked with for literally years, but I am sending them off to some very exciting opportunities, and I am blessed that they keep in touch with me long after graduation is over. I feel that I have a never ending and constantly growing group of students that become my friends. I have - unquestionably - one of the best jobs anywhere!

Happy spring.

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