I Can't Do It...

As the end of yet another school year is quickly approaching, I cannot, and will not, countdown to the last day with my students. I simply can't do it. I've never been able to. Have there been times in the past thirty five years that I've thought about it? I'd be lying to you if I said “no.” Still, I've never been able to countdown.  

    Why, you might ask? There are many reasons, but     what it boils down to is that in my tiny little classroom, year after year, we've become a family. When you spend 150+ days together, it's hard not to. Of the sixteen students currently in class, thirteen of them have been with me since Day #1!

This year, I found something a little different to do with my students. I took a picture of each of them and asked me to tell them something they felt they were good at. Next, I put their picture with their statement they gave me on the bulletin board. Each day, I'm going to take down the one belonging to the Special Helper for the day, glue it into the middle of a piece of poster board, and ask each child in the class to tell me something they like about that student. I'm going to write it on the poster board surrounding the Special Helper's picture and give it to them as a keepsake for their time in my classroom.

     I started today. Let me tell you, when it came time for the rest of the class to tell me something they liked about the child in the center, I almost cried in front of the whole class! They were so sweet and kind! I thought to myself, “If all I've done this year is to teach them to be kind to one another, then that's good enough for me!” This group of children who came together with me, a new teacher in the building and some not knowing one another have become a tight-knit group of children. I pray that they continue to be these caring, compassionate children as they grow. The world we live in needs more of this.

When I think of this year's class and their kindness and empathy, I am constantly reminded of Isaiah 11:6, where it says, “and a child shall lead them.” That's how I feel about these children! They can be leaders with their kindness.

Each year, I know I'm going to miss my students and each year it's for a different reason because each class is unique. Building relationships is hard work, but oh, so worth it!!