So last night was the Year 12 Formal, the end to a very, very long and largely disorganised week. At my school, the Year 12s don't rampage through the suburb, but they do slowly disappear from class. In other words, this is the way Year 12 ends - not with a bang but a whimper.
But then, last night arrived - and what a bang it was. My more devoted readers may recall a post I wrote last year about the awkwardness of being a young teacher at a High School formal function, and of the etiquette of dancing at such functions. Well, last night was, I'm pleased to announce, much less awkward, perhaps because more teachers in my age group were actaully present, perhaps because the students seemed happy to be sharing the night with us.
Now, at such functions I understand it's customary to expect at least one song by Lulu, or someone of that ilk, or at least a handful of kids on their desks saying, "O captain my captain". Sadly, none of that happened. But I did have some photos taken with students, and a few that were very eager to dance with me. One even came and sat next to me to have a chat at one point. And, in a week when I've not been at all sure how much I want to do this job, that was a nice way to finish. It made me think that, if these are the relationships I've built up in only two years, I'd like to stick around to see what kind of relationships can be built in the years to come.
1 comment:
Lovely post. I attended my younger brother David's Valedictory dinner on Friday night, and it was surprisingly pleasant - more pleasant than I would have expected. After hearing about Xavier College and the antics that occured there, I was preparing myself for a night whereby students were completely disrespectful and antipathetic towards their teachers. On the contrary, most students were very well behaved and many were sad to say goodbye to the ir teachers. So Mr. Matt, it is all worthwhile, and it is highly likely that through being a teacher you have changed many young lives for the better. Good luck with the exam period and catch up soon. Ms. Catherine :-)
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