Sunday, May 19th, 2013
For Real…
It is getting real… like really real! We have surpassed the single digits and it is starting to sink in that I only have a few weeks left (I am so no longer listing…it causes me some sadness).
For the majority of the year, I have shared weekly what is going to happen. A few times, I have shared some great moments. Occasionally I have gotten busy and only blogged in my head. I know that is hard to read. If you want to check out a fun event, the battle is Thursday in the morning… and some active fun in the afternoon with field day! Sign up to help if you can: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B084EAEAD29A02-field
Here is a from the heart post… check back for more!
This week I received a gift. It isn’t the kind that you open, but rather the kind that you carry in your heart. You all know the kind of gift I am talking about, that first sloppy kiss from your toddler, the chubby fist of dandelions, a card that is pasted upside down and backwards with mom scrawled across it. This was that kind of gift.
The end of the year has always been the hardest for me. The countdowns and celebrations make me sad. Sure, I love summer. I love the time with my family, trips, flip flops and ponytails. I do not love the endings or good-byes. Some of you are probably yelling…KEEP THEM!, but I know how you feel about them… really!
Each day last week, I saw or heard from a former student. I don’t mean the ones that are at Beverly or even still here in the district. A fast trip to the grocery store on Monday was the first meeting. A student that I had at Greenfield is working there while taking classes. She in now taller than me, which clearly shocked her and she was so happy to run into me that she hugged me on my way out. I loved hearing where she is now! A Facebook message came on Tuesday from a college kid in TN that I had my first year of teaching. HE IS IN COLLEGE! His single mama fought hard to see that this would happen and he is making it! Wednesday, I made a trip to the mall to get my sassy girl a pair of shoes. Who was the cashier at one of our stops, another former student. He is on his way to MSU in the fall after a year at a local school. Hearing about his accomplishments, his friends, and his family was awesome. Thursday and Friday brought a request to come and observe from a former student persuing a teaching degree and a photo of some former students who ran into each other after returning home from college.
I only get a year with your kids. That may seem funny to hear, but it is so true. This year I have gotten to know your kiddos, to enjoy and appreciate who they are. I have learned what makes them laugh and what happens when their feelings are hurt. There has been everything from laughter to tears and it happens fast.
When I first started teaching, my cooperating teacher told me that if I ever got to the place where I couldn’t remember something about each kid in my class… even 20 years later, it was time to leave. She was right about that… as each of their faces flashed through my mind or in front of me this week, I remembered. I remembered how one girl hated spelling tests so much that she cried even with her perfect score. Then there was the one boy who read anything about hockey including math problems, but, if it wasn’t about hockey goodness help us. My college boy in TN told me once his mom wouldn’t care he was misbehaving. I am pretty sure his mama may remember that best but I haven’t forgotten either.
Being a teacher isn’t always about the mechanics of learning. It is so much about the people that show up every day. Those little smiles that enter my door each day make my job amazing.
I am thankful that you will share your kids with me.
I am fortunate to remember a piece of their story…
I am glad that each one of these 25 smiles will be something great… and will come to tell me about it!
Have a great week!
