I've been teaching at The School long enough that some of my earlier kids are now legal adults, some with kids of their own.
To tell you the truth that really kind of freaks me out.
Some of my kids have kept in touch with me through the years, including one who my husband and I pretty much consider to be our own - she house sits for us, cleans my house for me (I figure I'm helping pay for nursing school that way), and comes over to borrow books for her classes from our library of history books. She's doing great, and I couldn't be happier or more proud if she was my own. I often hear how some of her classmates are doing which is great because her class was special. That group of kids had some of my favorites. Not the best kids, but my favorites.
Including Stoopid Boy.
Stoopid Boy was, without a doubt, one of my favorite kids ever. His best friend, one of the Skater Squirts was another one of my favorites. So when Skater Squirt found me through a post I'd made on The Nursing Student's Facebook page, I didn't hesitate to strike up a conversation to see how he and Stoopid Boy were doing. These kids were just the kind of kids that never left your heart.
And the fact that Skater Squirt posted that I was his very favorite teacher - ever - well, that just knocked it out of the park.
These two did not have the best seventh grade years - Stoopid Boy, in particular, had one of the worst seventh grade experiences on record, including a stint in Alternative School. He wasn't a bad kid, he just made bad decisions and had an uncanny ability to get caught all the time. But he had a good heart, and some of us could see that despite the attitude and behavior. Skater Squirt wasn't a trouble maker, but he was definitely a kid who wasn't all that interested in academics, but was more into music and being outside, and doing things. (I was the teacher who introduced him to Jimi Hendrix.)
After a few months of chatting on line, these two young men (because they're now both 21!) came over and had dinner with Mr. Bluebird and I the other evening. I cannot begin to share what a blessing it was to have these two mature, interesting, funny, and delightful young men spend time with us.
The best part? They are fine. They are doing well. They seem happy and together and grounded and just everything I would have hoped they would be. They survived middle school and became productive adults.
This is one proud momma Bluebird. And I'm glad they're back in my life. They are truly gentlemen.
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