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{Straight From the Heart} *It Goes Both Ways* 1/22/01
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Today's story is by a good friend of mine named Kaaryn Hermsen.
I am asking all of you to take a moment out of your busy schedules, and
as a favor to me, let Kaaryn know how her story affected you today. Let's
encourage Kaaryn with her teaching and with her writing!
This past week I have learned the value of what a simple encouraging email
can provide in the life of a person. You may think that you are not making a difference when you strike the keys on the keyboard and click your mouse on the send button. Heartfelt words carry across the miles and feel like a gentle smile, a touch on the shoulder, and a huge bear hug when you really, really need it.
Life is too short to leave kind words unsaid...
Michael
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It Goes Both Ways
By Kaaryn Hermsen
I am a High School English teacher in the Gateway Alternative Program at
Harlem High School, Machesney Park, Illinois. This is my first year
teaching alternative education. The dynamics of our alternative education
classes consist of a smaller amount of students (no more than fifteen), a
slightly slower pace of curriculum distribution, and a more relaxed
atmosphere than your "normal" classroom setting. These students have either
flunked English before (once, twice, even three times), have an attendance
problem, have some behavior problems or are possibly "slipping through the
cracks" and need that extra attention for a number of different reasons.
Those reasons can include anything: broken homes, abuse,
neglect/abandonment, sexual assault, pregnancy (three of my students out of
40), death in the immediate family...the list seems never ending. But
because of these factors, my students already have built up defensive walls
and cunning ways to play the game even before they step into my classroom.
I am a teacher, their worst enemy. And even though I know this, I still
must remember that my job/goal is to first earn their trust so I can,
second, teach them the required curriculum so that, third, I get through to
them that graduation is a must, even though most of my students feel
otherwise about it.
This year has been an emotional up and down rollercoaster. It can be very
trying week after week, day after day, hour after hour, dealing with
children with so many different problems. I have quite a few students
floating in and out of rehab, juvenile detention and even one on the "Sex
Offender" list that your local day care center has access to. But I have
grown to love them all. Even the ones that I know I will never "reach",
they hold a special place in my heart. Everyday, I am exposed to a
different kind of lifestyle that I have never experienced, and everyday, I
give many thanks to God for all of the incredible blessings that I take for
granted daily: a healthy, loving three year old daughter, an amazing set of
parents who are still together and gave/give me everything I have ever
wanted and more, a sister and new brother in law that shower my daughter and
I with an abundance of love and affection, the kindest/smartest four year
old black lab, a very blessed family tree that keeps getting bigger with
announcements of new babies on the way, a tight circle of good friends, a
two bedroom apartment with heat and gas and food in the refrigerator all the
time, a nice car that is reliable and can take me anywhere I want to,
stylish clothes that have overtaken every inch of my closet, and all those
"little" perks, like bottles and bottles of bubble bath or lotions that
makes my days a bit nicer. Many times, I have stepped into my apartment and
thought that most of my students would think of my tiny, very modest home as
a castle and a haven.
Obviously, this job does not have too many outward perks. The students
don't always appreciate my concern, my desire for them to learn their nouns
and verbs, my reasons for discipline actions for misbehaving in class. We
have been together for a whole semester. Today was our last Friday of the
term and only have a few more days until all the students switch out of my
class into new ones. There are times when I think these students and I are
ready to have a break from each other. But I know they care. And today is
no exception.
Yesterday, two of my better female students came up to me and asked me if I
would leave my door open so they could come in today and do "something". I
had to be out of the room and it was something that they could not share
with me. I hesitated, but said I would do as they asked. Lunch falls
before their class, so they said they were coming in at 11 am and our class
starts at 11:20 am. Well, my anticipation of what was going to come was
overwhelming. Part of me was kicking myself for letting these girls do
WHATEVER it was they were doing. But I trusted them, and my gut, that they
would not do anything that would hurt me or the room.
All the other students were waiting outside the class with smiles on their
faces when I arrived. Some were whispering, "she's coming!" and others were
hustling around laughing and joking. The bell rang and they told me to wait
just a bit. One student asked me to turn around so I would not see in the
window. Being in a good mood, I turned around. About one minute later, it
was time to go in. The first thing I saw was my chalkboard with the words
"WE ALL LOVE YOU AND WE ARE GONNA MISS YOU, MRS. HERMSEN!!" And "Love," with a list of every student's name in the class followed. Orange and black banners, our school colors, covered the walls and my desk. EVERY single
desk in the room had on it a home made chocolate chip bar, a Kool-Aid
squeezy drink, a plastic bowl of popcorn, a Caramel Apple sucker, and a
handful of candy. I stood in amazement at what they had done for me and
tears of joy appeared.
They know how much I love them!! They know I care. Up to this point, it
has been easy for me to explain the circumstances of this whole experience,
but now I find it very difficult to write exactly how incredible these 14-15
year old students have made me feel today. I guess I can put it best by
saying this: Some say that teachers make a difference in their student's
lives and they guide them to become better people. In my opinion, I believe
it works BOTH ways.
Kaaryn Hermsen
khermsen8_@hotmail.com
Send Kaaryn an email and let her know what you thought of her story!
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Kaaryn is a 27 year old English teacher at Harlem High School in Illinois and has a three-year-old daughter named Holly. She currently teaches 9th, 10th and 11th grade English for the Alternative Education program at Harlem High called the Gateway Alternative Program. She is working on her Education masters from National Louis University. Her hobbies are simply spending a lot of time watching Holly grow and reading exercise magazines such as Shape, Self and Fitness. Tae Bo at 5 am and running after school rounds out her day.
Note from Michael:
I met Kaaryn at a volleyball tournament this past summer and asked Kaaryn to join our traveling volleyball team called Janesville Thunder. She set numerous records for Eastern Illinois' volleyball team and was the head volleyball coach at Chadron State College in Nebraska and the University of South Dakota, before moving to Northern Illinois. She has been a very welcome addition to our team. We have two rules on our volleyball team: Play with the intensity of a mother bear who is protecting her cubs, but also remember that volleyball is just a game, and games are supposed to be fun! She does both very well and stepped right in like she had been playing with us for the last ten years...
Thank you Kaaryn for sharing your story with all of us here at SFTH!
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REQUESTS:
From: PatrishaAnn@aol.com
Dear Michael, would you add Linda Nickerson, a dear and lifelong friend, to the prayerlist. In Oct. 2000, they discovered cancer of the lung, liver and lymph nodes. They gave her 4 to 6 weeks at that time. She consented to chemotherapy for her children's sakes. She is still 'hanging' in there. The doctors are surprised that she is. They are allowing more chemo on a three day course....starting Wednesday, January 23rd. She needs all the prayers possible. She has been a staunch fighter against the pollution of this great earth, been through very bad abuse, abandonment by parents and escaped from an abusive marriage with her 3 children. She raised and supported them herself for many years. She is such a fighter. Please lift her and hers up for prayer. They all need it so. She does love Jesus and calls him her friend. I do not really know the state of her soul. I thank you. We have been friends for 58 years, we are like sisters.
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Thought For The Day:
"Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is."
Verse for the Day:
"...though a mighty army marches against me, my heart shall know no fear! I am
confident that God will save me." Psalm 27:3
Infant's Thought For The Day:
"If it is Mommy, it must be hugged."
Parent's Thought For The Day:
PAUL REVERE'S MOTHER:
"I don't care where you think you have to go, young man, midnight is past your
curfew."
Coach's Thought For The Day:
"You need to play with supreme confidence, or else you ll lose again, and then losing becomes a habit." --Joe Paterno
Deep Thought For The Day:
"Of late it has become popular to pose the question, WWJD
(What Would Jesus Do), but I find that when people answer,
their response is to the question What Would I Do If I Were
Jesus."
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_
/_/\/\ MICHAEL T. POWERS
\_\ / THUNDER27@aol.com
/_/ \ "For I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but
\_\/\ \ Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live for the Son
\_\/ of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20
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