Since I ended the last blog with a mention of Xhelil I felt I really had to pause and think back to my students during the 2008-2009 school year. I had two anatomy & physiology classes plus biology and lab and last but not least basic biology. Roughly my student count was about 125. I don't know what I did to deserve them but normally I am well organized, have my teaching together, can slam out whatever topic I need to and do the whole volunteer, give back yaddy da with a smile on my face. Not that year! I was so tired I wanted to scream yet somehow I managed to keep it together enough to be able to say I did my job. I just couldn't do it all well enough to suit me, so I say this to all of you. You can legally take leaves of absence for your treatments through your illness. If I had to do it all over again...I wouldn't worry about getting back to a job. Take the time for yourself and positively, absolutely get better. Of course, hindsight is always 20/20 vision as my dad would say!
To be honest...just couldn't tolerate most adult or kid shit that year at all. How many times can you listen in hallways and hear "I'm so pissed at my parents, they wouldn't buy me a _________you fill in the blank whether it was car, dress, ipod whatever." I just wanted to yell out would you get a freaking clue. Your parents with possibly a few exceptions to every rule, take darn good care of you. Let's trade places. Now that was the bad kids.
The good kids...Have to start with my man Brian F..There are not many kids who can butterfly your cut hand because while on the coumadin you decided to stick your hand in a bucket of scalpels and are now bleeding like a stuck pig. Not only should he have gotten the money from the emergency room doctor who proceeded to rip off Brian's stitches and glue me with superglue, he should have his job. How many kids do you know who have a first aid kit with the stitches right in their backpack! Brian...you are the man and always will be. I hope you now have fewer migraines and are doing excellently at college. I <3 U.
My princess Paola...most recently when a dear friend passed away I was expecting the princess to show up at the memorial with her "girls" out in all their glory. Princess was overly blessed in that department. I think the powers that be let her get on the boob line at least 3 times. You might be agast at that but this was how she dressed every single day for which the mother in me who wanted a girl so badly would say OMG I can't believe your parents let you out looking that way but princess has a heart and believe it or not, the night of the memorial, she said "Donny am I dressed ok. I didn't want to embarass you! She was absolutely perfect that night. Just goes to show when you need them to be adults, they can be. I was very proud of them.
Brian W. this boy has to be the most remarkable child I have ever met in my life. Cute, freckle faced, impish grin on his face almost all the time, you would not have known unless you bothered to know that this boy had been through bone cancer himself. Not only had he endured so much more pain than any young kid should have had, he was an excellent soccer player whose career was basically ended. On top of that, his mom had also been diagnosed with ovarian cancer while he was going through a variety of grafts and repairs to the bones in the leg. Talk about bad stuff happening to good people. It should be a crime. Unfortunately his mom Benita lost her battle with cancer but her child does her proud. He will finish college I know and go on to do great things.
Chris & Todd-I speak of them together because you often didn't see one without seeing the other somewhere nearby. Both totally nuts but in a good way, Chris very smart but you were lucky if he wasn't discussing some philosophy about the end of the world or the expanding universe and Todd well Todd is one of those people who are amiable and kind and usually overlooked until you absolutely need them and there they are doing whatever needs being done without question! Great guys!
A very quick mention to Freddie and Greg..all I will say is that class wise they were as annoying as hell, didn't do any type of hard work at all, coasted in order to just pass the class, cheated or tried to cheat whenever they could but they could always, always make me laugh. Never forget the people who can do that for you when you are recovering. They are definitely worth their weight in gold.
My entire group of sophomores that year...I can't list you all here individually because I could go on and on. Let's just say you are the class of 2011 currently going to graduate from Wallkill Valley. I commend you all on a job well done, I know that in your limited experience with severe illness, again with some exceptions, you put up with my "chemo" brain and all its craziness and yet you survived. I am and always will be very proud of you all and I wish you nothing but good things and happiness as you enter the next phase of your lives. To Kim and Sherri you really outdid yourselves in improving your attendance record and I am sorry you had to experience the nosebleeding in biology but I do think Wallkill should give you a most improved award. LOL. I will miss seeing you both arriving late daily in my hallway.
Last but not least I have to mention Xhelil again. What a loud, obnoxious, opinionated young man! Gave every sub sent in for me a hard time. Big shout out apology to Stephanie Bonaparte. Gave me a hard time. Could give God himself a hard time. If sent to hell could probably give the Devil a hard time so much so that even he (the Devil) would kick him out. But remember Xhelil that when you were hypnotized and the guy asked you who your favorite teacher was you proudly said, "Donnnny" Ha Ha I still had the last laugh. I also wish you all that is good. Take care! xo
Well, that's my babies in an overview. Like I said I could go on and on here but then it would get crazy saying the same good things about them all. Just know that I did and do appreciate what you all did for me that year. I will miss seeing you at WV very very much and I thank you all for your patience and understanding. May your lives be blessed with nothing but peace, love, happiness always!
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