Kind-Hearted Kids

Sometimes people ask me why I chose to teach high school. They are surely picturing a roomful of belligerent kids wearing saggy pants while smacking their gum and telling me, "WhatEVER." The truth is, high school students can be thoughtful, and kind, and surprisingly sweet. Three examples from the last week:

One of my girls brought me a gift: a three-pack of Carmex and some gourmet coffee. These were not only very thoughtful gifts, but she bought these things with her own money, which made it even more special.

One policy I have is that I generally do not hug students. If this sounds harsh, teach high school for a month and then tell me why that's a policy. I will allow hugs occasionally, but it's a rare occurrence. They can give me all the high fives they want though. :) On the last student day (last Friday), one of my boys came into my room after school and said with his thick Southern drawl, "AWRIGHT, Mrs. White, you have GOT to give me a hug." I couldn't tell him no, especially since he had just made my day.

Today was Teacher Work Day, and I was buried in dust and boxes and old papers for the majority of the day. In the midst of all this, I realized that I had forgotten to do something important, and was bellowing my version of an expletive ("CRAP!!!") when I turned around and saw two of my junior (well, senior now) boys standing there. They had come to school just to see me and say hello, and they thought it hilarious to find me in the middle of a hissy fit. Once they stopped laughing, I took advantage of their visit and put them to work in my room for a little bit. They were very helpful!


Yes, occasionally teaching teenagers is comparable to taming moths, but there are few jobs as rewarding as the one I am lucky enough to have.

And a quick note: I should have mentioned that all my purchases from Wednesday's post were bought online. The nearest Old Navy is a 45 minute drive away, and the website usually has better deals than the actual store anyway.