Congratulations!!!

It's been awhile since my last blog but I have good excuse--it has been a crazy last couple of weeks at school! Graduation was last night (YEAH!!) and I went up to support my ESL students who graduated. I was very proud of them as they walked across the stage to get their diplomas. What a great accomplishment, especially because many of them are the first in their family to graduate from high school! One of our exited ESL students from Chile was even a valedictorian!

Now, I know I shouldn't have favorites, but I do. It's Jesus. I'm SO proud of him and that's his picture I posted above. He really worked hard to graduate last night. He did have his moments where he was a little lazy and got behind but, when push came to shove, instead of giving up and dropping out, he worked really hard, did some night school, etc., and ended up getting his best grades ever his last trimester of high school. I worked closest with Jesus so it just meant so much so see him walk last night. It makes the low pay worth it! He was very grateful to me and kept thanking me and even told me he would miss me--that meant a lot, too! I wish him all the success in the world because he's a good kid and deserves it.

My guilty pleasures!

I decided I needed a fun, happy blog after my last one so here goes: I love American Idol and Dancing with the Stars! They are my guilty pleasures (especially after the finales this week). One word--WOW!!!!! This season was the best ever for BOTH shows! To be honest, I loved all the contestants and didn't care who won but, I do like underdogs so I usually go for them, but it was too hard to decide this time so I didn't even vote. Well, I guess the majority of the voters think like I do but actually do vote because BOTH underdogs won on both shows!!! Cool!!!! Shawn Johnson on Dancing with the Stars and Kris Allen on American Idol--I do love a good shocker!!!

So, CONGRATULATIONS TO SHAWN AND KRIS!!!!! MAJOR KUDOS to Gilles and Adam!!! They were awesome, too, and deserved to win just as much as the others! But for me, I always love a good underdog story!!!

Always something!

You know, when my friend was telling me I should start a blog, I really didn't think I would have anything to blog about. Well, I was wrong! There seems to always be something going on, especially with work. Who needs my own kids when I have 30+ at the school!

This is actually a sad post, though, at least I'm quite sad about it. I have a student who has been missing a lot a school recently. So I called home and spoke to her mom. It turns out that her mom has cancer and is having surgery tomorrow! They don't have anyone else--she's a single mom and just has her one daughter, my ESL student. HOW SAD!! I just wanted to cry for both of them! My student told me today that the prognosis is good if the surgery goes well and they're able to get all the cancer. I hope so! We're working with them to help the daughter be able to finish up and pass most of her classes since she needs to be with her mom to help her.

I'm glad school is almost out for the summer, but this definitely puts a damper on my usual excitement this time of year!

It gets better!

I blogged too soon . . . it was actually 2 of my ESL students smoking the marijauna in the locker room! Good job, boys!!! Ah yes, what has happened to the good ole days when you could give them a good whack?

Oh yes, I can't forget an honorable mention to one of our girls who is really behind because she went to Texas for a few weeks but went back to see a boy!!! UGH!

A Bad Day

I just thought I was having a bad day because I didn't get any sleep last night because of my husband's snoring! Little did I know that it would get worse. One of my ESL students was caught smoking marijuana in the boy's locker room!!! AAAAARGH!!!!

I spent the whole afternoon in the office with my student and our resource office translating, etc, for the student and for his aunt who had to come pick him up. He ended up suspended for a few days, was given a ticket, and has to go to juvenile court now. I really think he's learned his lesson, though, because he is VERY remorseful! He admitted everything right away and was very honest. The officer was impressed by that and put it in his report so that should help in court. But, my student is also worried he'll be sent back to Mexico (he's here on a visa so I think he'll be ok but who knows). Hopefully this was enough of a scare to keep him from doing it again and he'll learn his lesson! Overall, he's a good kid who's trying and just made a stupid mistake--don't we all! I just hope it's his only mistake that serious.

Proud Wife

My husband, who I call Sparky (he calls me Skippy), just finished his first college class since he went back to get a math degree. His final was last week. He knows about this blog and when I was talking about some posts with a friend this weekend, he asked, "Did you write about my grade?" He's very happy . . . and so am I! He got a straight A!!!! One of the only A's in the class, in fact! He thinks there were only 2 or 3. It was a hard class, a lot of students never even finished. But he stuck it out and aced it! I'm VERY proud of my hubby! Way to go, babe! I saw how hard he worked and he deserved it! So here's for you, Sparky! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!! YEAH!!!!

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Ok--I know that cinco de mayo was yesterday and it's now seis de mayo! Oh well! I love cinco de mayo, probably because I love the Mexican and latino cultures. I especially love it when I ask my ESL students who are from Mexico what cinco de mayo celebrates and they don't know. Ok, I'll be nice, half did and half didn't. I guess there are some Americans who don't know their history, though, too! But it that REALLY bugs me since I'm such a history buff.

We had a little cinco de mayo party in our ESL class yesterday (well, the girls did, the boys just sat there and wouldn't even eat the great food the girls made). I made horchata, a yummy traditional drink of rice and cinnamon (the boys did drink my horchata, though).

I really love how different cultures here in the U.S. are trying to keep their cultural identities in tact. Unfortunately, that wasn't always the case. For example, many years ago, when a Mexican family immigrated to the U.S. and their children were born here, those children never learned to speak their parents language, Spanish in this case. They were completely assimilated into this culture, forgetting their traditions, only speaking English, etc. The same was happening with many Native American cultures, as well. But now these different groups are keeping their traditions and languages alive in their children and their children's children, for which I say, BRAVO!! I mean, what an asset to speak two languages and to know why you do! We are suppose to be a melting pot, so, I feel we need to embrace all the cultures that are here and try to respect their traditions. We definitely enjoy them--look at how many non-hispanic Americans have embraced and celebrate cinco de mayo!