55 and Counting

It has been over a month since I last posted something. I’m awful at this blog stuff! Truly… a friend asked me the other day if I’ve blogged anything new. Oh yeah, I have a blog about my journey to Thailand, it has more holes and stench than a slice of Swiss!

So much has happened I don’t even know where to start, so I’ll try for a sequentially recap.

October 11^th I had a presentation at the Rotary Club meeting, which was amazing. I was interviewed and gave a short Muay Thai demonstration both were nerve wrecking but extremely successful . I also took the survival bracelets I’m selling to help raise money, which were sold out in under 5 minutes!

October 18^th I got to be part of a Bully Awareness presentation in front of 600 elementary students. This particular event was very near and dear to my heart since one of the students is a young (7 yrs) Muay Thai student at the gym. He was born with a rare disease that does not allowed his bones to grow properly. At first doctors were not sure he would survive. However, this young man has a true warrior spirit and continues to make a mockery medical science. He just recently underwent a limb lengthen surgery on his femur, this procedure is very cumbersome and painful.  Five days later….he’s already jumping on the bed with his little brother, love those boys : )

October 20^th I ran a half marathon. WOW, 13.1 miles is a lot of running!! My dear friend Tess helped me train and prepare, of course in typical Regina fashion I fell off the wagon about 32 times but we got it done! Did I mention 13.1 miles is a lot of running? Those full marathon folks are either extraordinary or crazy…or just the right mixture of both.

So today is the 55 day mark. I leave January 6^th. Each day brings some new challenge, question, or second guess of what the heck I’m doing. Most of my students at the high school are in a full blown guilt trip. The crowd of students that waits for me by my office in the morning is increasing daily. The number of visits I get throughout the day could be compared to the numbers seen at the DMV. Questions ranging from, “aren’t you going to miss me?” to “what if you die?”.  I love how candid and forthcoming students are, especially when discussing safe subjects. Safe subjects include anything that does not require information about the student. Teenagers really do have it rough, particularly my teens. They are the first generation said to not outlive their parents. They have the fast growing obesity and diabetes rate. Not to mention the self mutilation, drug abuse and poverty levels that paralyze any hope of normalcy, but normal is relative anyway. I sure am going to miss them. When I find myself getting irritated by my lack of productivity due to all the interruptions, I smile and I ask them how their day is going.

Examples

Examples can be good or bad, a pattern to be imitated or not to be imitated. Working at a high school has its bittersweet moments. Students are brutally honest about what they think. For example, “Miss you look tired, you look rough, you look mad…”. I try to set an example for my students, not necessarily a good example, but an example that it’s possible to work, have fun and be a real person. On a good day, students are happy and say hello and usually have some kind of compliment, “Miss you’re funny, I like your shirt…”. Small victories, the fact that they notice something besides themselves and show kindness to someone without expecting some kind of return or reward is a victory. A recent study showed that raising children is more stressful then a full time job….DUH! What if your job is spending 8+ hours with kids, let alone teenagers….YIKES! When I first started working at a school the students would make me so nervous. Groups of five or more would come into the office and I’d ask them to leave and come back one at a time. Seven years later, I’m acclimated and able to walk down the hall during passing period without having a mini panic attack. All I have to say is thank goodness my school is small and I have the ability to know the students. It really does make all the difference. Truthfully, I believe they have taught me more than I have taught them. They are my example. Every day they show up, they represent how education can make all the difference in a person’s life. Whether it’s what you learn academically inside a classroom, situations you encounter with peers, or managing a crappy home life. The difference between school and life is this, in school you’re taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you’re given a test that teaches you a lesson. Sometimes I forget that I am just as much an example to the students as they are me. Come January, my new adventure will remind me of the example I am to students and teachers alike.