I recently had the great good fortune to hook up an almost 3 month teaching gig filling in for a woman on maternity leave. I got to teach Spanish and study skills (a lovely touch of irony, that…given my track record as a high school student). I was more than a little apprehensive going in, never having taught kids that age, and also having heard horror stories of the hormone-ridden hell that it can be. And, to my eternal surprise, I had an absolute blast and got to work with and befriend a bevy of curious, intelligent, kind, wacky, interesting teenagers.
The job ended this last thursday and I was devestated. Even though I’m completely stoked about getting back on the road (I have the ticket to colombia in my grubby little hands as we speak), I am sincerely going to miss walking into that school every day and experiencing the sizzling energy and optimism that those kids just naturally exude.
So, to all of you amazing “walugans” THANK YOU!! TAKE CARE!! STAY IN TOUCH!! and as a final spanish assignment the job of translating this:
LES DESEO A TODOS MUCHÍSIMA SUERTE, PURO ÉXITO, Y UNA VIDA FELIZ. LES MANDO UN ABRAZO ENORME! HASTA SIEMPRE.
-profe
click on the image below to see more pics of my spanish and study skills classes.
Ian, no me conoces, obviamente. Pero realmente me alegra mucho que todavía estés pensando en volver a caminar, e imagino que tus alumnos deben haber pasado muy buen tiempo contigo. Para mí, sos uno de los modelos que impulsan mi sueño de caminar, dentro de un tiempo, una vuelta completa a Argentina, desde cerca de Buenos Aires hasta Ushuaia, de ahí a la Quiaca, y vuela a Ushuaia. Éxitos, y que vuelvas pronto al camino.-
hay its cameron where all going to miss you profe i am going to ace spanish if it kills me
your freind cameron rahe
hey profe its cameron we all miss you iam going to get an a in spanish if it kills me
profe!!! omg this made me cry….we miss you already!!! my culture points that you told me to keep cuz i was gonna read them to the class, i talked to mrs. dralle about them and she told i have to turn them in late now…
so now there 3 weeks late! she hates me! anyway, we miss you so much,and the whole school was depressed today cuz u were gone everyone misses you a ton and we all want you to come back. have a great time walking and never forget the amazing kids that changed ur life (especially kylee) 
haha…THATS ME!! jk…just remember us!!! pleaseeeee! i think u should post something about every single kid in ur classes!!! that would take forever tho….but i still think you should…if you have the time…OMG PROFE WE MISS YOU!!!
bahahaha. omg.
i loveee those pictures.
wow profe, waluga will never ever forget u. that was one bittersweet day. we had an awesome party but everybody hated seeing you leave. (example:tears?) haha. but we will haveta see you again. thanks for putting those pictures up though, im totally stealing them. :] have a good time on your trip.
meh.
i miss u profe
COME BACK PROFE
PROFE!!PROFE!!
We miss you profe! School is not the same without you making your very funny jokes! We miss you a lot! Please come back soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11
Hey Profe! oh my garnet, you made me cry in what you wrote about us! But the pics were awesome. I’m glad you put the 1 of me kicking in there, it’s my favorite.Today wasn’t as fun as it was when you were here. we went over everything we’ve already done and the desks are all weird and not as sociable. It sux a whole lot without you here and it’s going to be really hard with just mrs.dralle here all year!!! we all are going to miss u, hint 3rd period alot, and hope to see you in a couple years or even next. I also hope you enjoyed your little note i wrote to you. I think i made it into an awesome swan but know mr. I know everything, you(profe) had to say it was a LOCH NESS MONSTER!!!!!!!!
I’ts ok though, i forgive you. Well we miss and hope you decide to come to the mixer on wednesday.
P.s try to sub before you go in the following classes…
1st periof Von Rohr
2nd period Persichetti
4th period Blash
5th period Grosenbach
6th period Running
I mean you can if you get the chance to before you go!
AHEM!!! You seem to have forgotten your poor students of last year! Even though we only had you for a couple weeks *grumble grumble…* we still LOVED YOU! I have Mr. Shelmerdine @ Lakeridge (gahhhh he’s AMAZING
), who YOU apparently had as a teacher when YOU were a kid? He told some story about you hitting your head or something, but I don’t remember it… Anyway, I hope you have a wonderful time on your journey and DON’T FORGET YOUR SPRING 07 STUDENTS GOSH DARNIT!!! XD
Oh, and zeharia@gmail.com by the way…
Hi Profe! I really miss you A LOT!!!! (i think everyone does) Everything you wrote made me cry
….. Oh yeah! I translated the assignment thingy (LES DESEO A TODOS MUCHÍSIMA SUERTE, PURO ÉXITO, Y UNA VIDA FELIZ. LES MANDO UN ABRAZO ENORME! HASTA SIEMPRE.) and i think its something like: THEM DESIRE To ALL VERY MANY LUCK, PURE SUCCESS, And A HAPPY LIFE. THEM CONTROL AN ENORMOUS HUG! UNTIL ALWAYS. haha sorry if i gave everyone the answers. GOOD LUCK ON YOUR JOURNEY AND DON’T FORGET TO VISIT WALUGA!!!!!!!! -Vivian
haha, hey vivian…thanks for the note…and the translationg…well, it was pretty close: “I wish you all a lot of luck, nothing but success, and a happy life. I send (not control, haha) you all (les) a huge hug. and yes, until always, although it might loosely translate to bff, lol. take care -profe
HEY PROFE!!
its Taylor and che and kelsey[[who you dont know]]
WE MISS YOU!!!!!!!!!
you ARE amazing!!
have fun walking!
you have to write to waluga and to taylor and che oh ya….and kelsey!
we miss you!
peaceee..
I CANT BELIEVE YOU LEFT!!!!!!!
have fun in colombia
come back and visit!
I WISH ALL A LOT OF LUCK, PURE SUCCESS, AND A HAPPY LIFE. I ORDER THEM AN ENORMOUS HUG! UP TO ALWAYS.
just so ya know, I TRIED TO TRANSLATE THAT THINGY! Is it right???
We all miss u so much!!!! it’s so boring now!
PROFE!!!! Hola, como estas? Gosh, Mrs. Dralle says compewtadora… she doesn’t make us emphasize our vowels at all! You told us to, so we all ephasize them and ask her why she doesn’t do it. She says it isn’t important… WTH?! I wish you would come back, it would be so cool, and mean so much to all of us. Adam Froelich, who is sitting right next to me, says hi! lol, well I better submit this before the Librarian catches me HAHA! See ya later Profe, EMAIL ME!!!! Or else… Mrs. Dralle will come and get you… that would not be good!
I wish you the best of luck on your walk, and if you don’t come and see us in Lakridge or substitute in our class before you have to go on your walk, then everybody will be sad. Don’t make everybody sad Profe. So many people were crying, you have no idea (well maybe you do), that means you have to come back.
Matt, per. 3 Spanish with the Profenator!
Now per. 3 is boring, >.
Oh btw, my email address is hennman94@yahoo.com (I took the idea of The Henn, and Hennman that you used to call me)
See ya!
I am supposed to be doing my LA essay but Matt tempted me. So, what’s up P-Unit. It was so funny today in Spanish because someone walked into our classroom to deliver a note and we all started clapping. Mrs. Dralle looked at all of us like we were crazy. bwahaha. She annoys me with her lack of pronouncing things right. And she kind of made fun of you in a way. She was like, “It’s good that you guys started off with vocab cards and pictures and stuff. That is like more like the elementary school way to teach.” I was like wow. Also, today we had to introduce other people in Spanish and Connor introduced Mac as MACK-THE-KNIFE lol. So reply back and email me. I put it on the thing but I don’t know if it shows up so it’s Afrosoccer1122@aim.com
it is not afro as in poofy hair its A – Adam Fro- Froelich. Just clarifying. So when do you start your long walk?
Oh wait, it’s per. 6, not per. 6, LOL. But you are still the Profenator!
Matt
WOOT WOOT finally u put up the pics profe! they rock by the way even though i look terrible in all of them. having class with you was da bomb!!!! so whats up? hows life? are u training for your intense south american adventure??? have fun with it!!!!!!
WOW!!! you are getting a lot of comments! But thats because we miss you a lot!!!! PLEASE COME BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ahhhhhh i don’t understand this technology! so i do want to talk to you, if i ever find out how to communicate! everyone misses you like crazy profe except the drallenator,(don’t tell her i said that) but i am still crying (inside at least) it sux you’re gone! u need to somehow come back really soon, once we find out how to eliminate a certain someone… cough cough wink wink….. anyways i don’t know how to talk to you through this contraption, but i luv the pics, i’m also wondering when you start walking? are you with the alpacas and llamas yet? hmmmmm well email me at alliem@wolfgate.org and show me how to talk through this blogism anyways, i hope you like my novel i’m making you read if you haven’t already stopped…… bye keep in touch
alligator of allieism (allie mitchell)
hey i get it, do you respond on this like i.m.? maybe not? @llie
omg profe we rock i know we do 7 period was amazing come back and visit tomorrow…. please
cassie fisher
PROFE! i never had you! but i always heard great things!!!!!!!!! even though I wasn’t in your class, you treated me like anyother kid like you had! you are amazing!!! you made me wanna take spanish!!! YOU KNOW HOW AMAZING YOU ARE FOR WALKINGGGGG THIS MUCH!!!! U ARE THE GREATEST!!!
PROFE!!!!!!! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO LEAVE!!!!! BY THE WAY YOU ROCK MY SOCKS!!! (I have no idea what that means)
Here’s a random phrase in spanish:
Tengo un pollo en la cabeza!!
by the way this is MERV! (I like exclamation points!!!!!!
PROFE,
MRS DRalle IISSSSSSSSS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO boring! SHes all like “Profe was just subbing for me and he just taught u guys with pix and vocab so just to make sure u learnt bout this stuff we’ll review.” And i was like “REspectfully WTHE????????????” SHe thinks we’re stupid. IM gonna ace this class if it kills me. Even tho mrs dralle is soooooooo…… nvr mind. Howz life? RU training and SWEATING UP A SEA??????? I really miss cross country. U were the bestest coach eveer. ANd also Kevin and some other people try to crack jokes and stuff but they’re just not as funny w/o u. ANd mrs dralle speaks SPANISH VERSION : GRINGO LINGO! AHHHHHHH it drives me insane, Were all like hola, and like pronouncing the h. RESPECTFULLY WAT THE????
I love u Profe
U kno that ur all that and Two bags of chips!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BIZZYBEE.
PS. do u have any other cross country pix other than the ones of the guys like running thier tooshes off????????
brittany@kembel.com
WRITEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hey, hey, hey! so i’m reading everyones comments and they’re all “mrs. dralle is boring! come back! life sucks!” and i’m thinking– Oh my god…they’re right…life does suck without profe!!!
So there is my train of thought… i’ll let you decipher it…. it shouldn’t be all that hard
spanish used to be my ultimate favorite class but it’s sinking down the charts FAST! i still love learning the lanquage but it is pure torture sitting through the class without you…
sorry for the long comment
in the picture above– emily kelley’s, blake’s, and spencer’s faces make my day!!!
Profe’s Arrival. P1!!!
Like all beginnings it was tentative. The usual grimness of first time experiences set a certain tenseness to the atmosphere as I walked into the classroom. Questions ran through my head such as “Where should I sit, did I know anyone, and lastly, who was that weird guy sitting at the teachers desk?” We were later to learn from this man a very important lesson of our life (community) but for now he was simply labeled “the substitute.”
Like many a bachelor of this era he was sporting a half lackadaisical (and bizarre) arrangement of textures and colors. But mostly his garb was due to the fact that he was frankly awesome and no about to become a “conformist teacher.” The tardy bell rang roping in the last stragglers and the noise level grew.
The strange man rose and the class gave him and uneasy tentative look. “Haven’t you subbed before?” A voice from the back called out, and he nodded sending murmurs and anticipation around the room. “My name is Ian Reeves but you may call me, no, must call me Profe.” His command, and “malevolent” stare made it clear that he would be “Profe” and no one else, but mostly he was taken seriously because he had a YARDSTICK in his hands. Yet he was not frightening, he was quite a comical sight.
And so it began, the vicious cycle of school, and yet with Profe it wasn’t vicious. (At least not yet!) Attendance in our class began and Profe desperately tried to grasp each name and connect it with a face. There were certain names and people that stuck out, like Tony and Roy “the most serious of them all.” And then came the supposed future divorce agents “Conan and SAVAGE!” Although names like Brennen never seemed to appear, and names like Kevin were just better left for the chickens to devour. Instantly these names became more meaningful, as they were attached to a person we each seemed to say “Never gonna forget what Profe said about them!” I bet he knew all of his 6-some-odd classes by the fourth day. AMAZING.
…possibly to be continued.
WE love u PRofe
PROFE!!!!!!!!!!! COME BACK!!!!!!!!! Mrs Dralle doesnt make the lessons fun come back and through the ball of knowledge in our faces. You allways treated us nice except for those times when you started yelling.(i didn’t like those days)anyways come back some time and sub again. Also the best part was when you made fun of Che Garret and Troy
PEACE!!!!!!!!
PROFE!!!!!!!!!! the funiest thing just happened i was looking at the s.s. hw and mr von rohr only has had 2000 people look at his website and u already have like a billion hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehhehehehehehehe
MISS YOU
P.S. You said i could say everyones names for extra credit and u never let me.
Profe!!! Como estas? Usted está muy recordado. En su honor, he traído mi grado. Me gusta usar la computadora y leer su pagina web. Por favor, regrese!!!! Sra. Dralle no tiene nada de ti! I debe ir, pero así tarifa.
Los mejores deseos
Connor C.
P.S.
Email me at: ih8jonmayr@gmail.com
I miss u profe i want the learning stick and the ball of knowlege
—-St. Patrick
Hey i saw you today but i didnt get a hug
. anyway please come a sub for study skills 4 soon. Why did you push me anyway? All i did was tap u on your shoulder. i mean come on
I saw you today Profe! At first, i didn’t know that u were coming, but then jessie wuz like: “Profe is here @ waluga” First i didnt believe her (haha) but thn i saw you @ the front of the building!!! OMG. Today was my first day of spanish with Ms. Dralle (bcuz i was gone on monday & tuesday) and omgomgomgomg she doesn’t have a spanish accent and she repeats herself sooooo many times!!!! Spanish wuz soo fun with you, i wish u could be a permanent teacher. (you are soo much better!)
Hey profe!!
omg profe u have no idea how empty this school is with out you. Theres like no point to waluga anymore.
You’re way better than Ms. Dralle will ever be. Well enough gossiping.
YOU ROCK IAN “PROFE” REEVES!!
Profe,
U rock sooooo much!!!!
MUCHO LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
profe, three words.
YOU CHANGED WALUGA.
hey y’all! I want to THANK every one of you so much for writing here and being so kind and warm. I can’t even begin to express how much it means to me and inspires me.
I would ask, however, that you DON’T bring any negative comments, perspectives, opinions, etc about people to this forum….please.
thanks.
ps. I promise to try and get back to all of you who have written as soon as possible…patience is the key…patience.
I think krissy hengesh is going to pass around an email list this week…please put your email on it and I’ll set up a waluuuuga newsletter to y’all from my trip.
I’m subbing at school on the 6th, 7th, 14th and the 28th…so see y’all then!
-profe
u haven’t emailed me yet! boo on you! get it? it’s like halloween(even tho it’s like 11) and i said boo so hahahha but you have to respond or mrs drallenator of doom and gloom is going to brainwash me! helape halape, doesn’t that sound like help in spanish? i thought so! well email alliem@wolfgate.org ( ya you already know it don’t you ) okay well i’m going to go die tomorrow with you know who teaching 7th period, EMAIL ME! @llie
WOOT WOOT!
UR SUBBING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*having you visit made my day 1000000x better!!! you make me so happy!!!
PROFE
U ROCK. THANX 4 COMING YESRERDAY!!!!! U MADE MY DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOW WAS THE HAUNTED HOUSE???
hope this makes sense!
Usted sale de lo que usted pone adentro.
love from a annoying CC runner. JK!