Class of 2017... bittersweet!

As the dust settles and we all go back to leading our "normal" lives, I reminisce... I think about the first day we met, the laughs, the tears, the screams, the joys, the sorrows, and all the other emotions that we have shared in our 5 years together at PHS. I laugh at the thought of almost starting a fire in Señorita's room when I thought I could clean the projector with cleaning fluid without turning it off or letting it cool down! I cry at the thought of how many tears I have cried and wiped for many of you due to the pain of loss, fear, hurt and just plain frustration. I giggle at the thought of the many adventures we've been on in, around and outside of the walls of PHS. From christmas caroling to ordering Chinese!!!
I can still see your nervous faces that first night we met and I smile at the thought of how nervous I was meeting you all for the first time as I was new to PHS as well! You looked so little and innocent! You reached out your nervous hands to shake mine and I smile thinking how excited and nervous I was to be there as well! We came in together. learned together and matured together, and this year, we leave together. Some of you I had in my classroom for the first time this year and others have been a part of my life for the past five years, and all I can say is it has been an honor and a privilege to have met you all. You have shown your perseverance and respect towards the Spanish language and culture and more importantly towards me as your teacher and from now on as your friend.
My final words... YOU DID IT! Through hard times and tough times, fun times and sad times, you got through it! As a teacher I have watched you grow, mature, well some of you anyway, and become the young adults who are the future of our society. I have heard stories, a lot of stories... I have listened to your dreams and wiped more than one tear, and it is with great honor and a privilege to say that I walked in to PHS in September of 2012 and will walk out side by side with you this year.
What an amazing experience it has been to watch you flourish and grow from silly, giggly, nervous 8th graders to mature, and still sometimes silly seniors. To the future doctors, teachers, engineers, scientists, nurses, musicians, husbands, wives and parents that I see in your faces, I say, "Be bold, be brave and find a way to get in the way!" Señora will always be one of your biggest fans and will be cheering you on from the side lines. You have made your mark on Palmer High School and have etched your name into the tapestry of its history as well as in my life. Some of you traveled with me to Holyoke, New York, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico and even Mexico and some have never sat in my classroom as a student but all of you have always been welcomed in as friends. Now, all of you will forever travel with me in my heart! I wish you all the very best and I can not wait to hear about all of the new adventures and the amazing experiences I am certain all of you will have. I expect to hear them all sitting on the porch of my house in Puerto Rico, having a cup of coffee and visiting with you!
I leave you with a poem from Mario Benedetti:
No te rindas por favor no cedas,
aunque el frio queme,
aunque el miedo muerda,
aunque el sol se ponga y se calle el viento,
aun hay fuego en tu alma,
aun hay vida en tus sueños,
porque cada dia es un comienzo,
porque esta es la hora y el mejor momento,
porque no estas sola,
porque yo te quiero.

Now go translate it! HAHA! DON'T use Google! It's the DEVIL!
Congratulations Class of 2017! Fly High! Soar High! Show the world how amazing Señora knows you are! Stay focused, stay strong and most importantly, stay real! Be the adults you would like to be around!
Keep in touch and say hello often!

Love always to infinity and beyond,

Señora

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