I know as a teacher, I'm not supposed to play favorites... but I have an ABSOLUTE favorite student. Ismael is a student that I've struggled with from the very beginning. He's definitely a leader in every aspect, yet chooses to act like a clown in class. But after a serious talk with him last week and being sent to the Counselor's office, he's finally shaping up. Lately, I catch him taking notes in my class and paying close attention to every single thing I say.

Ismael is the most adorable boy you'll ever meet. He's got a smile to die for. Last Thursday, when I took him home after school, I remember looking over at him sitting in my passenger seat and he just gave me the biggest smile in the entire world. With his feet dangling off the seat, I couldn't help but flash him a big smile in return.

Ismael's been staying after school with me to be tutored. All the tutoring seems to be paying off. I am SOOO proud of him. Considering that this is a student that once scored a 14% on his test with the previous teacher, I'm thrilled to say that he's now a B average student and jumped 28 points from the last test he took.

My goodness, I have SMART kids!

P.S. My class average is a 79%!