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First semester students heard of my engagement with Yvonne... second they heard of my break-up. I shared everything with them... my weekends with Cathy, things I'd done in college or other jobs, and so on. Many of my students were truly interested, and I think it's because they knew how much I cared about them. First semester, Chad came up to me saying he was nervous... he was supposed to run in a cross-country meet after school, his first meet back from an injury. He hadn't run competitively in three weeks, and was demoted to run JV. He asked if I could come watch him run. Of course, I could. I cheered him on as he kicked toward the finish line, first in his heat. He ran varsity for the rest of the season. During that first year, Chad would often come after school to sit and talk for a few minutes... about running, his girlfriend, his job, other classes, and getting ready for college. Also during that first year, other students had similar experiences... they knew I cared and asked for advice on a number of topics. My favorite part of each school day during my entire tenure at Holmen was 2:50, after school had let out and kids filed into my classroom to just talk. Some days there would be a few students, some days as many as a dozen, but every day they were there. I had such a positive effect on so many lives, and it was unlike any other teaching experience I'd ever had. |