May 27
Thursday, January 13, 2011 at 4:57PM Everything is bright and pleasant and I see no cause to complain, therefore won’t.
—John Ransom’s Andersonville Diary, 1881
Dear Dixie,
It might have been the last day of school yesterday for the chill-ren, but it ain’t for us. Today and tomorrow are what’s called teacher work days and all I can do is sit slumped and sad and exhausted as I look over The Cozy Room of Happiness and think of what all went on in here since August. I honestly cannot believe how fast the school year went by.
And I know you’re waiting for a revelation from me … a stunning summation about all that went on. I could tell you who’s got to go to summer school, but summer school isn’t a punishment. It’s redemptive. It’s a fair and reasonable and quick second chance. Anyhow, there are quite a few who’ll be redeemed starting in a couple of weeks.
But I’ll give you a revelation. I’ve got some energy left. A revelation at the end of the school year from a rookie teacher of kids with learning disabilities and behavior disorders. My revelation … my belief is this: I think teachers are the most important people in the world. When someone asks me what I do, I cannot tell you how proud I am to say, I’m a schoolteacher.
No one is ever not impressed. Not with me. No. But with the deeper feelings and powerful memories the word schoolteacher evokes.
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