Today was my first last day with the students in my fourth grade class that I've been student teaching in all year. It was so bittersweet; while I'm excited to be graduating and starting a new chapter in my life, I hated that our time together was coming to an end.
It seems like just yesterday I walked into a room of sweet, little faces whispering to one another as I walked in their classroom. They took me in with open arms and made me feel welcome from the moment I nervously introduced myself. Little did I know that those 24 crazy, energetic 9- and 10-year-olds would rock my world.
Over
the course of the year, my students taught me more than I could have
ever taught them. Within those walls, we laughed, cried, learned, and
froze-to-death together in Mrs. McGee's classroom. Memories were made.
I'll never forget the girl who told me she couldn't tell me her name on my first day because I hadn't yet been approved by the government to disclose her name, or the time a little boy came to me in tears at recess telling me that his classmate pushed him "in the *damn* stomach." I'll remember the time that they tried to teach me how to "dab" on the playground (which I haven't quite mastered). I still giggle about the time I tried to encourage some students by telling them that I had to take STAR tests when I was in school, and they said, "Woah! That was in like 19-something!" (I was in Kindergarten in 2000 - thank you very much!) I'm still trying to forget about the time I was running a little late wearing a little less make up than normal and several of them asked with concern, "Mrs. Moore, are you okay? You look terrible." (Why, thank you.) I'll also remember how at the end of a rough day, one little girl reassured me, "Mrs. Moore, you're going to be a great teacher." While all of my memories weren't necessarily happy ones, they were what made it all worth it.
I'm still impressed by the things kids will do for a sticker and the excuses they will come up with to get out of doing their schoolwork. I'm still amazed by that one kid in the class that, no matter who you put him by, will find someone (or something) to talk to. I still love the look of pure joy overcomes their faces when music comes on or when they hear the word "recess".
My students helped me develop my "teacher voice", learn patience on a whole new level, and perfect that look a teacher gives a student when they better stop what they're doing right then. Most of all, "my kids" taught me unconditional love. No matter what kind of day I was having or what happened the day before, they were always there to greet me with a hug, a smile, or a drawing of butterflies on notebook paper. My new favorite flowers are those picked for me on the playground. I've never known a love quite like the one experienced in the classroom. It was in that classroom that I knew I belonged.
Today I experienced a heartbreak like no other. It hit me for the first time that I could no longer call those kids "mine". I left school saying a little "thank-you" prayer for each one of those kids and hoping that I made an impact on them the way they did on me.
Mrs. McGee, thank you for teaching me that it's okay to fail. Sometimes things don't go as planned. It takes a good teacher to be able to say, "Okay, that didn't work. Let's take a step back and try again." Thank you for helping me to realize that students must respect me before they like me. They have to like me because they respect me. Thank you for sharing your classroom and "your kids" with me this year. I am so thankful for you and know I will be a better teacher because of you.
To the 24 kids who helped turn me from a student into a teacher, thank you.
Love Always,
Mrs. Moore
No comments:
Post a Comment