A Night to Remember

I didn't sleep very well last night. Yes, I had a lot on my mind but I'm fairly certain it was due to the grande peppermint mocha at 4:30PM. I couldn't stop thinking about my Isle12 students. When I left them last March, I was positive I had made the right decision to take a job in another district. In my mind, they were ungrateful, argumentative, emotionally-abusive brats, who hated my guts and believe me, the feeling was mutual. They couldn't wait for me to leave. Walking into the prom last night I fully expected to hear "Daaang. Why SHE hear? Go home."

To my surprise, I was greeted with open arms, warm hellos and even some tears. Yes, that's right one girl (who repeatedly used to call me a bitch--to my face) had tears in her eyes as she confessed to me how much she missed me. After countless months of thinking I hadn't reached ONE of them on any level, suddenly I was forming a different opinion. They were just kids. More importantly, they were my kids.



They were so different last night--all grown up and more mature (a little too mature, as two of them were caught in the bathroom, eh hem, yeah. I kid you not.)

Jill and I voted for ourselves for Prom King and Queen but we lost. BUT, not before we tried on the sashes!





I know that a life at Isle12 would not have been in my best interest. I know that I made the right decision to leave. But that doesn't change the fact that ISLE 12 was a HUGE part of my life, and I will never stop thinking about the impact I had on these kids. Was it enough? Did I do everything I could for them? I would like to think the answer is yes. I would like to think that all of the headaches, ridiculous admin. requests, blood, sweat and tears were worth it, but I guess I'll never know.

The four brave women who took these kids on are below :)



Congrats to the Isle12 Eighth Grade Class of 2010.