Moving On and Upwards.

I was just on my phone and realized I'd taken some pictures of my classroom that I'd meant to share here. I also then came to the realization that I never posted about the last day of school Wednesday. So all of these things I shall share.

As mentioned in a long drawn out post about my emotional attachment to my work, I was expecting to shed a couple of tears and try to hold it back on Wednesday afternoon.

I was doing fine. Hugging the kids, signing yearbooks, wishing well, warning them to stay out of trouble so I don't have to come find them and give them a talking to. I had a frog in my throat thinking of the fact that I wouldn't have a few of these shining and sure faces in my classroom, but was okay.

I stepped out in the hall to touch base with the science teacher on my team before they called the first round of buses. You see we teach in teams, and the woman who teaches science down the hall has been one of the driving forces to me almost keeping my sanity throughout my first two years of teaching. Almost.

She was hired onto this team the same time as I was. And while the teacher that she replaced wasn't as so vehemently loved as the one that I had come in for, she went through similar struggles with last year's 8th graders. She then, therefore had a similar bond with last years seventh graders, whom at the moment we were now sending off to the high school. (P.S. Am I the only one who wants high school to be one word EVERY TIME?????) This wife and mother of three gifted young cherubs herself was also always right there to to put things into perspective when I was overwhelmed and stressing myself out: It's really not the end of the world, and remember this is just a job.

So when I stepped out in the hall to visit, I saw it. She was teary. Her eyes were red, and she had a tissue in her hand that she continued to bring up to her eyes and officially verklempt. She hugged one of our students, and then I saw it. He had clearly been crying. This 13 year old boy who rough-housed, refused to do homework, and muttered "That's What She Said" jokes during class loud enough for me to hear, was emotional. I walked over, he hugged me, put down his head and said, "I guess I'll miss you. Okay, I will miss you" And with a grin he then hugged me again.

Well. Well Then. I guess I'll blubber like a little baby next to my friend here because I guess I'll miss you guys too. And everyone who wanted one got a hug. Some held on longer than others, which is okay, because they're not little adults like they'd like you to believe. They are still just kids who need a little bit of guidance from time to time. Which, for the last two years I was more than happy to provide. Seventh and Eighth graders alike.

I'm excited for them. Each and every one. I just hope that the hard work that we've put in on knowledge of the solar systems, the revolutionary war, the quadratic formula, and importance of setting in historical fiction will help them out as they try to scrabble their way through their next four years.

And if they haven't remembered any of that, then I hope that in moments of crisis or when they have to make a choice they remember to respect one another, always persevere, show compassion, say please and thank you, and understand that everyone is fighting a harder battle than you are. Most importantly I hope they remember that they have learned that they are capable of doing anything, especially changing the world.

After they left, my team and I had a "final team lunch", packed up our rooms for the new changes, and you better believe that I went out and celebrated a fantastic year with a couple of favorite colleagues. ;)

Speaking of packing. Ever wonder what two years of making myself at home in classroom and then packing it up looks like in boxes?

 

Goodbye my first classroom. I will miss your vicinity to the photocopier and staff bathroom, as well as your window that peeks right out to the traffic circle where I could be nosey and see all the comings and goings of the school...

 

Thank goodness I'm just going right upstairs, where my noseyness will still be obliged, just at a birds eye view. :)

On a completely unrelated note, I shall leave you with a message brought to you this morning from my Peach "YogiTea".
I could not take a picture of my personal tea with my phone because it refuses to cooperate for the greater good of blogging, but someone on flickr had managed to take a picture of the same exact quote on their tea. So I shall use theirs.

via

Enjoy your weekend, and relax. You might paint the Mona Lisa. Or something.