Moving On

While he was at the hospital, I offered to take one of my students out to dinner and then hang out with her at the apartment so she could see Dougie. I think that’s the whole reason she really wanted to see “me,” but that’s okay…really. I work with her mother and she is always telling me how A asks about me, wants to come visit me, draws pictures for me, writes letters to me, and just basically doesn’t shut up about seeing me. Go figure, she was the one who pushed my buttons, and all the right ones, so much so I wasn’t soo sad to see her off to first grade. Now I feel bad. I worked with her a lot last year on social behaviors, which were acceptable and which weren’t. And we had many power struggles right up until the end. Funny thing was, she was the smartest one in the class and had enough self-confidence to last a lifetime. Anyway, I guess she eventually appreciated our time together because she was in seventh heaven last night. When I told her it was time to go because she had to go to bed, she must have thought that I was suggesting, not telling, because she said, “That’s okay, I want to stay here a little longer.” And her mother told me this morning that she, A, wanted to call me last night and arrange another get-together. Before I dropped her off, I mistakenly told her that I’d pick her up again sometime soon, to which she said, “Like tomorrow night?” I promised her in two weeks, when D’s on call again. So I told her mom I’d have to give her a date, so A doesn’t bug her incessantly. It’s neat to be able to touch a life like that, even one that I wouldn’t necessarily have picked to touch. It’s a proven fact that you remember the tough ones, and they remember you. Although I feel it necessary to point out that it’s also a proven fact that nobody’s child is perfect, they all have their little idiosyncrasies, no matter how deep parents are in denial, and it’s these types of parents make teachers want to enter another profession. It’s a good lesson for me to learn before becoming a parent, because I could see myself thinking my child could do no wrong. Saves me from looking completely stupid. But that’s another topic for another day.

Anyway, the weekend looks like it’ll be a continuation of the week: fun and relaxing. We’re having friends over tonight for a pasta dinner with some really yummy garlic bread that I saw made on this cooking show I like (here’s the recipe). I’m going to see if we can find a good movie in the theaters and go tomorrow. I have tons of work to do on my Portfolio, which I have to hand in at the end of my last Master’s course. I recently bought a 3” binder, if that helps to give you any indication of my work load. So that will inevitably work itself into my weekend, too, I’m sure. But for now, it’s off to make that pasta dinner!