These are the thoughts of a Texas transplant in West Michigan who makes his living as a newspaper reporter by evening, and a struggling novelist by day.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

grades posted

today finished grading the few remaining final essays of the semester.

it struck me while talking to dawn earlier today that i realized why i was so stressed and tired even before i began grading these final papers.

after grading them, i was adding up the previous essays and various other things and getting their grade for the semester for my english class.

i realized that i was playing a part in the future of these kids' lives. my class was a building block to their education. one class of many en route to a degree. a degree that will one day lead toa job to which they will become productive working citizens. perhaps they, too, will teach and the cycle will continue.

i felt good that i can contribute to something that big in their lives, something positive. i wish the english 101 class of mr. garcia luck wherever the students end up in life. you all were a good lot and the experience was memorable for a first-time teacher. i don't think i could have asked for a better group of students. it made my experience positive, which contributed to their experiences, which by many accounts, was a postive one, too.

now, a bit of a rest before i tackle the next bunch of kids.