Saw this amazing guy in the high school parking lot where we were learning some fabulous parking today. Did you know these bikes don’t have brakes? You just have to pedal slower. Good thing it’s flat ground here. Stopping and getting off are the hard parts. He did great, as did my student with his parking!
This week’s winner for the strangest thing we saw on Main Street is….
A woman walking down the sidewalk by herself carrying a rainbow poop emoji piñata. I don’t know where she was coming from, or headed to, but she was alone, and not looking particularly pleased with herself. Hopefully the party spirit will come to her when she delivers her purchase to it’s final destination, and that it is the only thing to come to blows. Good luck!
OK, here’s my first attempt at making something from actual dash-cam footage. Click on the picture to see our video.
I’m really sad that this class is over. A few more driving hours tomorrow, and then I’m done. They all passed the final written test, no problem. Yay! Often by the last week of a class, we are ready to be finished with each other, having gotten to know each other well, and no longer needed much input as it should be when you are ready to go out on your own. This class has been the exception. They are ready to go, but I’m not wanting them to leave just yet. They have been mature, motivated, pleasant, funny, kind to one another, and so sweet to me. Class has been easy and fun each day. They asked good questions, stayed on task, and showed me what a joy it can be to teach when students want to learn. I love all my kids, but this group in particular will be missed. Good luck and be safe out there. Come back often and tell me how you are and how it goes at the DMV and out on the roads!
-thedriversedlady
I happen to have a very musical class right now. Amazing kids with amazing talent. We had one memorable car ride with a driver and several observers in the back seat. Not sure how we got there, but some comment or another lead to the entire back seat simultaneously erupting with an amazingly harmonic, “I want it thaaat way.”
With a lot of laughter, they then dubbed themselves the back-seat boys.
…And people think my job is boring. My own little carpool karaoke.
I have never done a student profile before. I think the first one needs to be done before this young man graduates. Ben is one of my many legacies. I had his lovely sister first, and then came Ben. He has become a fixture in my classroom long after he finished driving with me. He comes in after school, usually looking for chocolate, which he knows is likely to be found in my room, (shh… don’t tell.) He sometimes leaves me profound or confusing quotes on my blackboard. He shares his mood and what he’s been up to lately. He always makes me smile.
He’s really gotten the most out of his time at school. He’s worked there over the summers, been in charge of changing the message on the signs throughout the school year, which shows you the kind of trust everyone has in him. He’s active with campus ministry and volunteering. He’s passionate about running, and super supportive of his friends and teammates. He’s the only student of mine who ever said he wants to be a motivational speaker as a career. He’s been frustrated with a lack of path to get him there, but I keep telling him he will make his own for sure.
I think if you ask him, he will tell you he’s passionate about food as well. That’s his fondest memory of driving with me, the drive-throughs. That’s not unusual for a growing teenage boy, but Ben takes it to a new level. I’ll miss his smiling face, silly messages, and ever present self-deprecating humor. Good luck Ben!! Be safe out there on the road and in life after high school.
The big yellow sign on the roof elicits various responses from random passers-by. Some people want to be extra kind to us. They wave us on at intersections, give us big thumbs up when we do a good parallel park, and give us a wide berth on the road, leaving a large following distance behind us. I imagine that they remember what it was like to be a new driver, or have recently had a kiddo go through drivers ed. I appreciate it, and so do my kids.
On the other hand, we have people who see the big yellow sign on my roof rather like a bull sees a red flag waving. It elicits anger and speed. These people pass us on double yellow lines when we are going the speed limit, honk when we are clearly struggling with a skill, or in the case of the young man driving behind us yesterday, just drive along giving us the death stare and flipping us the bird for a solid five minutes. Now, we were going exactly the speed limit, as was the car in front of us, so even if we were not there, he would not have been able to go faster. Maybe he had a really bad experience with drivers ed, and hates us all on sight, maybe he is enraged by the color yellow. Not sure what was going on there, but also not sure what he accomplished by this expression of his displeasure.
In any case, you all want to check us out as you go by, which is just fine. Not sure what you are looking for, but you all want to take a peek. I hope you see the smiles on my students faces, the pride they have in their accomplishments, or even the gritted teeth as they struggle through the fear to do this amazing and scary task anyway. Know that we are looking right back to see if you are wearing your seatbelt, on your phone, or just maybe giving us a little patience and encouragement. Thank you.
