Spring is here?

Or is it?  My husband tells me that we will see a record low in the temperature tonight.  Man.  It has been one long, cold winter.  Sure, I know we've had eight snow days.  Or is it seven?  I don't even know anymore.  But even when we get those delicious little breaks, there are still deadlines looming and work we feel we should all seize the opportunity to catch up on and work we worry will have to be crammed in as a result of the time off.  And so the snow days allow us to stay in out of the cold, but our minds are still on all of, as Frost says, the "promises [we] have to keep."

I don't feel spring in the air, but the calendar tells me that in one week we will be on a vacation named for the season.  So, surely, it will be here by then.  Surely.  And when it comes, spring break, that is; go on your vacations or stay here on your "stay-cations" and don't think about AP Lang at all.  Leave it at Northern High so that when you come back, you are refreshed and rested.  Really rested.

The upcoming break has caused me to reflect (you know that's one of my favorite activities) upon all of the hard work that you all have accomplished this year.  And I wanted to let you know that I am so proud of every one of you.  You each persevere in your own way.  Some of you have taken your written pieces through numerous revisions trying to "give the teacher what she wants" which is really nothing more than good writing.  Writing well, effectively, coherently, articulately, expressively, argumentatively, even masterfully; it's no easy task.  You've responded to countless prompts, acquired a new wealth of knowledge about rhetorical moves, expanded arguments ad nausea um, read and reflected, composed essays, revised, revised, revised, answered countless multiple choice items, argued with your peers over correct answers, read novels, longed for your own independent reading and many of you still thank me every day that you leave my classroom.  Wow. Thank YOU.

Thank you for making my job so easy, or as easy as it can be.  Thank you for your willingness to try and try again.  Thank you for sharing your amazing selves every day that we are together in West 13.  I am so grateful for my job and the reason that I am grateful for my job is because of all of you.  Each of you is an incredible individual who has the potential to do or be anything he/she chooses.  Choose what makes you happy.  That's what I did.  I've never been sorry.  Oh, sure, I get tired when the days of winter drag on and spring seems as though it will never return to Michigan.  But, at the end of the year, after all of the testing has been completed, all of the essays have been written and read and scored, all of the grades have been marked in the book and the stacks of miscellaneous hand outs have all been filed away (they do eventually get filed), most importantly, after witnessing the tremendous growth that comes during and after the tremendous struggle, I know there is nothing that I would rather do with whatever time I have left here than spend it in West 13 at Northern High with all of you.

Sincerely,
Mrs. McAllister