Dear students of my first year teaching,

Thank you for such a wonderful first year of being a teacher. When I walked into the school building on August 18th, my heart would pound at the sound of each bell to start class. What are my students going to be like? What are 7th graders like? Fortunately for me, I have been blessed with the most wonderful classes. I have often wondered if I will have such awesome students every year. I hope to always remember your faces, your names, your personalities, and your beautiful voices! To the students of my first year teaching... you've blessed my life.

But kids... there were days when I just didn't make enough money to put up with you.

I will never forget the drama that comes with teaching all girls classes.
boyfriends, ex-boyfriends, best friends, ex-best friends, overly-concerned mothers, braces, PMS, gossip, cat fights, crushes, hormones, headaches, lip gloss, texting, writing utensils of every color in the rainbow, nail polish, tiny bladders, cheerleading, the Twilight series, tampons, tears, broken hearts, dancing to imaginary beats in your head, Facebook, cliques, clubs, crazy socks day, American Idol, every letter "i" dotted with a heart, Ipods, writing all over your jeans (be glad I'm not your mother), and did I mention boyfriends, ex-boyfriends, best friends, and ex-best friends?!

And lest we not forget the Men of the Choir whose number one rule quickly became "DON'T TOUCH EACH OTHER!" No group of people has made me doubt myself as a teacher and musician more than you, men.

And especially to my one "special" student who shall remain nameless. You know who you are. I shall call you "Groundhog." Many people in my life have always called me "Groundhog" because I was born on Groundhog's Day. My birthday, however, has now become branded with the mental image of your face. "Why?" some might ask. Because you, Groundhog, found a way to push my buttons EVERYDAY. You, Groundhog, made me want to read textbooks on classroom management.  You drove me up the wall daily. Each day was the same! Just like the movie, it was "Groundhog's Day" with you... EVERYDAY!

...ahem...

On a lighter note, students, I am most thankful for the opportunity you gave me to grow. I have wanted to be a choir director since I was your age. That is hard for me to believe. Maybe some of you will be my colleagues someday. One of my biggest wishes for you is that you always love music. You can take your voice with you anywhere you go, and you can always keep music in your heart. Trust me, it will speak for you someday when you have no words to express yourself. I would give anything to see each of you become a child of God. I hope I did everything I could to show you The Way. I hope that you make good decisions and always be aware of how precious you really are.

Thank you for the memories,
Mrs. Northen