Whew...

The last few weeks I have felt a little overwhelmed.

I guess the reason for that is that I have pretty much ran out of lesson plans that I created over the summer and then the ones that I was able to create as the year was moving along, so there is the added work of creating more lesson plans, coming up with assignments, and the like.

I guess, though, that's part of the deal.  I have a solid idea of what I am going to be teaching from week to week, but creating the daily plans can be a bit of a hassle.  The thing is, though, I can't imagine not having those lesson plans now, so it is well worth the effort of creating them, if only I could find an extra hour or two each week to use for making them.

And once I have them, the hope is that I can adapt them, altering things that worked, adding new things, or whatever.  Most of the time consuming work will be done, so I can then focus on making them the best they can be.

I know we are all busy.  But I think it's a really nice kind of feeling to lay down at night knowing that I have really exhausted myself for my students.  I really try to be the best possible teacher I can be for them.  I am nowhere near where I want to be, but I am so much better than I was this time last year.

And I have another success story to tell.

Last year a young lady took my class.  She was a senior and she fell in love with making videos.  She was easily one of my best students.

A while back she asked me to write a recommendation letter for her to use as she sought out opportunities at various colleges.  She wrote me last weekend to let me know that she had been accepted to the Savannah College of Art and Design for film and television broadcasting.

She thanked me for my class and for me turning her on to video and film.

What a great opportunity we have, to touch the lives of our students, to give them hope, a chance at a great career, a chance for a better life than they may have had otherwise.

So sure, I am overwhelmed.  I am tired.  I am spent.  But I am those things because there are students out there that are apparently hungry for what I (and all of you) can offer.  That's a great feeling.