Reason to celebrate

Tomorrow is Jack's 30th birthday, and we have a lot to celebrate. Just last week, Jack started his career as an elementary school teacher. He is teaching 3'rd grade math at a school in north east Baltimore. It's still a title-1 school, but its a much more pleasant place than the school where he did his residency. Since he's started at the new place, I haven't heard any stories of little girls with gashes on their faces from their mother's diamond ring or of 12 foster children living in the backseat of a car.

I am really proud of Jack for how far he's come. When we first started dating, Jack was working as a customer service rep at Discover Card and thinking about taking classes at a community college. Now, five (or six, who's counting) years later, he holds a degree in psychology and has what I would consider to be a very important job.

The Baltimore City Public School system needs more teachers like Jack. He sees hope in these kids that so many have written off. Yet he knows that he can't help them all. He is both optimistic and realistic. I know he will be great.