Parting Gift

Tonight, I taught my last class of the semester.  I still have to give my final exam and figure my grades but most of the work of teaching is behind me.  Time for my favorite time of year--summer!

I find something to like about every class I teach.  It always amazes me to watch as we go from a group of individuals to a true community, pulling together to accomplish our goal.  This group was extra special though.  It may be because they struggled a little more than some classes I've taught. For whatever reason, I am proud of them all.  They have managed to work full time, deal with the drama of life and learn Spanish all at the same time.  So I made them a parting gift.  I researched quotes by Miguel de Cervantes (author of Don Quijote, the first modern novel), chose one and put it on a book mark.  I added a chocolate bar and told them it was their diploma for passing Spanish 1411.  

I thought I'd share some of the quotes I found with you.  And if you've never read Don Quijote, put it on your summer reading list--it truly has something for everyone, not the least of which is wisdom.

Tell me thy company and I'll tell thee what thou art.

He had a face like a blessing.  (I like this one because it is exactly how I feel when I look into the faces of my sweet girls.)

Good actions ennoble us and we are the sons of our deeds.

In order to attain the impossible, one must attempt the absurd.  (This is the one I chose for the book mark--sometimes learning a foreign language may seem impossible and sound absurd!)

It is one thing to praise discipline and another to submit to it.  (So true--I need to put this one on my mirror.)