Deep breath. Release. The school year is over now, and while I’ll be starting my summer position soon, I’m actually beginning to feel in Break mode. Now I can sit back and reflect a bit on the end of the school year. As I’ve blogged about already, both Paula and I are starting at a new school in September, and we’re not going to be teaching partners. We knew that this was a possibility — a strong one — and now we have the added challenge of extending a partnership between teams and through classrooms. This news made Thursday’s final day at Rousseau that much harder, as we really were ending an era: three wonderful years teaching together. It was as I was listening to Michelle Fawcett‘s goodbye to us in the gym that I started to think about this blog post.
Michelle’s goodbye made me think about the answer to this question, “What will you be remembered for?”
- I’m happy to be remembered as someone who stands by and with kids … always.
- I’m happy to be remembered as part of a team.
But then I started to look more closely at the goodbye notes and gifts from students, and I wondered about more possible answers to this question.
- When these children started JK, they were just learning letter-names and sounds. Now they’re ending the year, writing and reading notes such as the cards and letters below. Kindergarten was a part of this growth, and I hope that I’m remembered as someone that helped teach these amazing kids to read and write. More so, I hope that I’m remembered as someone who helped children develop a love of both.
- Inquiry is an important part of the Kindergarten Program. Over the past few years, kids have explored their interests and ignited their passions as part of our classroom program. May I be remembered as someone who allowed kids to pursue their interests, and make a difference as a result.
Thinking about these memories makes me aware of just how much impact teachers have on kids, on families, and on a community. When the year ends, what will we be remembered for? What do we want to be remembered for? There’s nothing like moving schools to make you reflect.
Aviva
I’m looking forward to co-creating with you and the children to make next year a great one for all. Good byes and change are hard. It’s important to embrace the change and welcome it. As we’ve read before “change is the only constant” 😉
Thanks Carey! I’m thrilled to connect with you and the kids too. Change can be hard, but also exciting, and thankfully many new teaching positions and schools have helped me get better at dealing with change. Your quote at the end here was a good little reminder indeed. 😉 Now to think about what this upcoming year can bring …
Aviva