I remember again why I'm a teacher

Yesterday was the last day before break. I survived the first semester! While I was walking through the office yesterday morning, I saw one of my students with his mom and stopped to talk to them. I had been wanting to call her anyway to tell her of her son's great improvement this semester. At the beginning of the year, I couldn't get him to score a 6 on the DRA (a reading test...a 6 is kindergarten reading level). When I tested him this week, he had moved up to a 10, which is 1st grade...a big improvement. When I told her that she jumped up and down, threw her arms around me, and started crying. Then she said that was the best Christmas present anyone could ever give her. I had tears in my eyes at how happy she was. It's moments like these when I know why I am a teacher. Some days I want to tear my hair out in frustration, but then I remember moments like this and know that it will pay off. I think if I didn't get frustrated, it would mean that I don't care enough about my students.

In other news, I have the most annoying neighbors. The past 2 weeks we have not had a decent night's sleep because they have a very noisy bed and feel the need to have sex at all hours of the night, several times a night. I swear they're like rabbits. I've banged on the ceiling several times to no avail. This morning I went up there and banged on the door. I didn't think he would actually answer the door, but he did. When I told him he needed to be quiet, he told me he'd try his best but couldn't make any promises. I made a suggestion of going somewhere else in the house and he told me I couldn't tell him not to have sex. I never said that...I said to find another time and place. Then he said "This is my home, you can't tell me that." I told him that he has people that live below him and he needs to be more considerate. Seriously people, when you live in an apartment and people live below you, have some decency. If he keeps it up, I'm filing a noise complaint. When I'm woken up at 12:30, 3:30, 4:30, and 7:30 in the morning, I am not happy.