Dear HSHMC

Dear HSHMC,

Happy Monday! For Mr. Tibbs and I, this Monday is a little sad since it is the first Monday that we are not there at Health Sciences High and Middle College to see your smiling faces. As we sit in Starbucks, preparing last minute paperwork before we leave for our Peace Corps service in Guyana, we imagine all the students and staff at HSHMC are finishing up fourth period, going on with their teaching and learning in the normal HSHMC fashion; like a family, with all the joy and drama that families normally have. We were inspired to write a blog directed especially to you to say how much we will miss you and also thank you for all the good times.

When we applied for the Peace Corps, neither of us were working at HSHMC, so we didn’t know that we wouldn’t just be leaving a job, but a family. Through all our experiences as teachers at our wonderful school we have had so much fun, learned so much and become so close with you. It is much harder to leave than we imagined but it is not in our nature to quit something we started over two years ago. We wish we could take you all down to Guyana with us, hidden in our suitcases. However, since that is impossible, what we will be taking with us are the lessons you have taught us, memories we have made together and the knowledge of how much you support and care for us.

At HSHMC we have learned how to be better teachers because of our students. You were so honest, sometimes brutally so, with us about how you deserve to be treated and how we can best facilitate your learning. You showed us that it is okay to be the kind of teachers who get to know their students on a personal level. You have shared with us so many stories of your lives and we feel blessed to have gotten to know you. We hope that you will continue to share your stories with us, especially you seniors who will be going off to college (we want to know what your future holds).

Thank you all for the amazing memories. Though there are too many to recount, we are especially grateful to have shared in a range of fun times with you. The first annual HSHMC play, Taming of the Shrew, was hilarious, amazing and such a blast. We know that this year’s play will be just as, if not even more, awesome and we will miss experiencing the production of it but can’t wait to see the DVD when we get it in the mail. We will always proudly remember our summer school Government and Economics classes. You guys have such great ideas, are so smart and will be excellent entrepreneurs in the future. You blew us away with how much money you raised for breast cancer awareness at the Movie Night and HSHMC Bazaar. We loved being a part of so many wonderful field trips with you; crying at the Museum of Tolerance, cheering for Team Tibblets during the first four days and rallying for UCLA at the USC/UCLA volleyball game. Believe it or not we have enjoyed reading your essays, correcting your tests and urging you to do your best, even when you would rather eat a slug than go to Academic Recovery. Each one of you has such amazingly unique talents that you bring into the world and we know that if you continue to uphold the pillars of HSHMC in your life you will go great places and do great things. We are very proud of you. You should all be wildly proud of yourselves. 

And to the staff of HSHMC, everything we needed to say about how wonderful you are has been said in all of our rock speeches. You guys are rad! You are inspiring educators, super people and have become some of our best friends. Basically, GO TEAM!

We don’t know what the future will hold for us. Two years is a long time. Some of you will be graduated and moved on from HSHMC but we sincerely hope we can keep in touch. And for those of you who will be in San Diego when we return, we can’t wait to see you and catch up on all our adventures.

So, goodbye for now. Keep in touch. We love you and are so grateful for all you have given us.

-Mr. and Mrs. Tibbs