Special Spring Break Outing

One reason I love being a teacher is the chance I have to connect with kids. Last year I had a couple of boys, Jose and Even, who were pretty special. My favorite memory of last year is when we went to Bonneville Dam. As we came across the salmon and sturgeon I thought Jose and Even were going to fall in to the water with amazement. They were so excited and appreciative of the experience. It was then that I realized that these boys had not had many experiences far from home and it didn't take much to make them happy. Since both boys had some struggles with behavior choices, I became part of a mentoring program that our school started this year. Every morning these two boys "check in" with me and set goals for the day. At the end of the day I meet them at the bus for a quick review of the day. Often times, the first thing they say to me is..."How are you doing today?" I think they realize that I need the "check in", too.

Anyway, I challenged these boys in September to have a great year, with few behavior issues. They have accomplished that so far and are doing well. To celebrate, Matt, Ryan, Luke and I took them to a Blazer game tonight. Matt even found a great deal on seats that were 13 rows behind the Blazer bench!!! We picked them up and headed to Taco Bell. When we got to the Rose Garden they were both so excited. Even had been to one game earlier in the year with another teacher. Jose had never been there before. His eyes were popping out of his head. He was wearing an older Sebastian Telfair Blazer jersey that he had found at Goodwill and had bought just for this game. Well, we decided to buy both boys a new jersey so they picked out Brandon Roy's jersey. After all the excitement we settled in our seats and enjoyed a great game. I think both boys asked a hundred questions and cheered louder than anyone else in the section! The Blazers won and even helped us end the night perfectly with Chalupas. Jose thought they were going to have a real, hot Chalupa waiting for everyone at the exit. I had to explain that they actually gave each of us a coupon to get one free at Taco Bell. He replied, " Wheewww, I didn't know how they were going to be able to make that many Chalupas so fast!"

We just had a great time...especially Matt and I. It was fun to watch the Blazer game from these boys' perspective. It reminds us to appreciate things we might take for granted!