Sunday, May 17, 2009

Countdown

My first year as a teacher will conclude in three weeks. Three short weeks including a Monday off for Memorial Day, a Friday that I'll be in Minnesota for a friend's baby shower and a half day on the last day of school. I'm thrilled. And why shouldn't I be?

Well, sometimes I start panicking...have I prepared my students well enough? I will be the first to tell you that I did not have it all together like I wanted this year. Stations and guided reading were inconsistent. Writing could have been better. I could have done a few fun things in social studies that I never got to. All of my kids passed the state standardized reading test. They know their stuff, but I could have always done more.

I'm sure this is a "I'm a first-year teacher and I'm not so jaded yet" type of thing, but I'm already starting to miss my kids. Yes, they give me fits sometimes, but overall, they're awesome. How lucky am I that I got to be a big part of these little people's lives this year? I know their brothers, sisters, pets, hobbies, dreams, nightmares, favorite foods, best friends, and favorite colors. I have been very blessed to be able to know these little people and to help shape their lives. Come June 5th, they'll be gone and I won't be able to remind them to use an apostrophe if a word is possessive or how to politely ask for something they want. I'll have to trust that I have taught them and now they know.

I am a perfectionist and always think about how I could have done something better. I will always feel like I could have done more. I got to know and love forty third graders this year and I just pray that I have done right by my kids. I will try and enjoy these next few weeks because my kids don't get to be my kids for much longer.

2 comments:

  1. Enjoy these last 3 weeks of school. And have a great summer. I wish I had the WHOLE summer off!!!

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  2. You are so sweet...you must be a great teacher!

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