wouldnt that be sweet

Today was the greatest day of my teaching career.

Let's back up. Today was the dreaded "filming day". I slept horribly and had nightmares about forgetting my tape, the battery on my camera dieing, and none of my students showing up, just to screw me over. Fortunately, none of those terrible things happened, class went smoothly, and we had a rousing Reader's Theatre of Act 3, Scene 1. Thank you, English 9.

About halfway through the class, one of my students asked if there were any theatre companies that perform Romeo & Juliet anymore. I explained that lots of companies still perform works of Shakespeare, it's just a matter of finding one in your area that is playing the show that you want to see. I have been looking for a local company who is doing R&J so I can invite my students to check it out, but aside from a one-night showing by Aquila and Mondavi, there's not a lot of Romeo & Juliet happening right now.

This student in particular is one of my favorites. Not because he's well-behaved, or does his homework, or comes to class on time everyday. In fact, he does none of those things. He never stops talking, never turns in any work, and routinely walks in 15 minutes after the bell. However, he's got such spirit. And he tries really hard. And he's funny and charismatic and encourages the rest of the class to participate. And, for whatever reason, he has really latched onto Romeo & Juliet.

So, I accidentally left my camera running as class ended and my students started packing up. As I was reviewing the film this afternoon, I could hear this student in particular talking to my master teacher in the back of the classroom. I had noticed him speaking with her that morning, but didn't think much of it. I can't catch some of the dialogue because of all the other noise in the room, but as far as I can tell, he was asking her about their senior projects (big research projects they must complete and present to a panel in order to graduate) and, get this, if he could incorporate some sort of production of Romeo & Juliet into his senior project.

This is a kid who got a 13% in English last semester. This is a kid in danger of getting kicked out of school for whole host of issues. This is a kid who, in his first written assignment, said that he has been told "you'll never make it" his entire life. This is a kid I believe in because, underneath the beanies and baggy pants and gang symbols, he is passionate about Romeo & Juliet, of all things!

This is why I want to be a teacher.