Tribute

I had a nice evening last night. Diane picked me up and we met Bonnie at the Tasting Room for dinner - girls night out! I had a delicious pork loin with onion jam and bordelaise sauce, that didn't set well on my stomach later - but it wasn't too bad - just a little queasy. Lesson learned - go bland these first few days after treatment. I even had a fairly good nights sleep, going to bed a little after nine and not getting up until four - then dozing a bit in my chair. Nice.
Last year, my department head, Michelle, came to me and said my class was too big and the district had decided to split my caseload of students. They were going to hire a new teacher to share ‘MY’ kids. I was not a happy camper. I insisted that I could handle my caseload and worried about my parent’s reaction. Michelle stood firm.
She hired Melanie Dostal, a second year teacher, who had worked the previous year at the Millard Young Adult Program – a wonderful program where my students go once they have graduated from high school until they are 21. I had heard many good things about Melanie, but was still a little leery about how all of this was going to work. I didn’t need to worry.
Melanie is a breath of fresh air – and the most mature 29 year old I know. Previously, she worked five years for the state with adults with special needs as a service coordinator, so she has a wealth of knowledge concerning students with special needs. She has two little children, Brenna, three, and Mason – somewhere under a year. She completed her masters degree while working, pregnant and raising a child.
I couldn’t have selected a better co-teacher if I had hand selected her myself. We share so many of the same ideas and values, and complimented each other’s teaching styles. Melanie was a sponge – soaking up our program’s ins and outs during the first semester – and then being thrust into the leadership role when I was diagnosed with cancer. I had the most fun, I think, in my teaching career, teaching with Melanie last semester – and I usually have fun!
Throughout my life, God has shown his presence in such concrete ways. Four years ago, with my first breast cancer diagnosis, he gave me excellent classroom paras and supportive administration & staff to help me through my treatments. This time I again had the excellent paras and supportive administration & staff – but the true key has been Melanie. While it wasn’t easy for me to walk away from teaching – it was so much easier knowing that the program would be in such capable hands. Melanie – you were a gift from God and I am so grateful He brought you into my life. Please don’t ever forget that.