5 Nov 2009
I haven’t mentioned to the girls that it’s my birthday for a few weeks now. Every once in a while birthday discussions come up and the girls ask me when mine is, but I don’t believe I’ve answered that questions for days and days.
This morning I was sitting at school, greeting the girls as they came in the door, and one of the seventh graders came up the stairs and stood at the top with her mouth agape and smiling. I looked at her for a minute, smiling myself, and after a few moments without me noticing, she held out her hand, gripping a gift bag with a birthday cake on the front.
Inside the bag was a nice gift, part home-made and part store-bought, but my favorite part was the gift card, which absolutely made my entire year!
On the inside of the card is typed, “You’re not just a great friend— you’re a prescription for happy!” The fact that there are girls who think of me as a friend and not just a teacher filled me with happiness, and the added fact that I brighten their day (instead of make it worse— which is how I think lots of people think of teachers) makes me so happy! I started tearing up right there in homeroom while I was reading the card, but managed to keep it relatively together…
Inside she had written her own messages:
“Not only are you my prescription you’re an awesome person to talk to <3 ps: Have fun @ the concert lolz”
“We’ll miss you next year!” “Come back to us!” “Almost done w/ us Esperanza girls (J.K)” “You’re moving on” “College yikes” They recently found out that I was applying to go back to college— I’ve been reading viewbooks during my free periods at school— and have latched onto the fact that I won’t be there next year… I’m not sure they realize that I’ll probably cry harder than they will on graduation day!
Anyways, I think my favorite note she wrote was: “THE 1st YEAR TO DRING [sic] (don’t do it) PLZ” Talk about lolz ;o)
