goodbye^24

Friday was my last day at work and it was very emotional. I'm not sure at exactly what point in life I became one of those women who cry uncontrollably when they're very sad or angry (I think circa 2003) but it is extremely annoying.

I stayed busy late into the night Thursday with preparations for the last day of class, and I was doing very well. But I wanted one of my last day activities to be an art table where my students could make cards for their homeroom teachers, so I started searching for poems about teachers that I could have ready for their use.

I found this:

You're a very special person.
and you should know
How I loved to be your teacher,
how fast the time did go.

We did a lot of special things-
We learned, we laughed, we cared
I always will remember you
And all these times we shared.

I wish that you could visit me,
as through the grades you go.
Try hard to learn all you can,
there's just so much to know.

The one thing I hope you remember
to last your whole life through,
Is that you are special and you are cared for
Each and every one of you!

Sappy Poem + Me = Weepy Tearful Mess

So I cried most the rest of the night. I got up early and ran around, dropped Little Guy off at Grandma's and as soon as I walked into the teacher's lounge I started crying again. I got to my classroom and as I set it up for the last day -- more crying. The first students started trickling in and I finally calmed down, pulled it together and settled into business. Then at the end of class out came the evil crying poem...needless to say there was crying.

I never in a million years would have thought it would be this difficult to say goodbye to my students. But it is. I don't think I ever fathomed when I was in school just how much the teachers cared. How teachers come to think of students as *their* kids.

So tearful goodbyes...class is dismissed. Then I spent the next 4 hours putting my classroom away for the summer and filling out intervention reports. By then I was dusty and dirty and glad to say goodbye to the school, if not the students.

I hope my 24 kids have bright futures.
I hope they rise above their circumstances.
I hope they learn that it is not their fault when bad things happen to them.
I hope they make good choices.
I hope they have a great teacher next year, who cares about them even half as much as I do.

wtf (california budget cuts to education)

mark my words...we'll all pay for this later.

managing children

i think managing children is the single biggest challenge of being a teacher. i have certain kids that i feel like i'm in a near constant battle with depending on whether it is a good or bad day...or week.

but i had a reminder today of something important that is easy to lose sight of when you're locked in "battle" with certain younglings. the reminder was that these bad behaviors don't come from nowhere -- that the most difficult kids to deal with often have a heart wrenching situation outside of school.

while that doesn't excuse bad behavior, it's the key to seeing that they are not the enemy and that your battle is not with them, it is for them.

beware the wind

my class was replaced today by little demons. seriously. the morning was already off to a bad start when i got the call that i needed to take them out for a bus evacuation lesson and drill. the words "bus evacuation drill" may forever strike terror into my heart now.

i guess this is what i get for bragging about my class being angels earlier this week...

or, alternatively, my mother in law (a retired teacher) says i can blame it on the wind.
According to her, Windy Days + Little Kids = Big Headaches For Teachers

Now we're heading into the windy months of fall/winter so I think I'm going to go with my theory...because if hers is true I'm in for a lot of trouble!