Day 8 in the classroom
I can't believe 4 weeks have flown by so quickly. It really seems like just yesterday that I was in the classroom for the first time, nervous and excited to see what this experience would be like. I'm so glad and so grateful that I had an amazing mentor teacher and that it was an amazing class to be in. The kids were so great, and I'm so happy to have had the opportunity to have this classroom experience.
The kids were all happy and hyper and in a great mood this morning, like they usually are. But today, there was a sadness under the happy hyperness. "Is it really your last day? Do you really have to leave?" they asked me so many times today. They got up from their seats so many times just to come over and give me a hug. It's hard, you know? I mean, it was only 8 days, but you get so attached to the kids and they get so attached to you. I'm really going to miss being in the classroom and working with the kids.
I made them goody bags and brought in oreos for them for snack for today because I wanted to make my last day with them special. I gave them the bags right before recess so that the candy and little toys wouldn't be a distraction during class time. They made me cards saying how much they would miss me and how much they loved having me in their classroom, and for journals today, their topic to write on was "My favorite memory with Miss Wilcox is..." A few of them gave me their journal entries from today. Reading through the cards, and listening to them read their journal entries, I honestly thought I was going to cry. My eyes wear tear-filled, but I couldn't let the tears fall. Not in front of the kids.
At the end of the day, after the students had all left, I just kind of stood there in the middle of the classroom with my eyes full of tears and just said aloud, "I can't believe... it's... over." Where did the time go? It went by too quickly; I would have loved to have another week or two in the classroom. Even if it meant having to do more assignments, it would be so worth it. I've learned so much these past four weeks, and more time would mean learning more. I learned more about what it means to be a teacher during my time in the classroom than I have from sitting in class at college.
But about today. It was, overall, a pretty good day. As usual, I spent the morning checking off who'd done homework, helping students with morning work, correcting work, and making copies. Though I was sad to be leaving, everything made me smile today. When they review phonics, it makes me happy to see them knowing the sounds the different vowel blends and digraphs make because they're learning to read and learning to love reading. I loved hearing them come up with "question sentences" and "telling sentences."
Today's math topic was really difficult for most of the students -- Usually math goes from 12:20 to 1:00, but today it wasn't over until a little after 1:30. They were working on regrouping numbers - like, if you're added 28 plus 6, you have 2 tens and 8 ones and you're adding another 6 ones to it. So you have 2 tens and 14 ones. Since 14 is 10 or more, you can take a group of ten from it, making it so you have 3 tens and 4 ones (so 28 + 6 = 34). It's a confusing topic to try and explain, and a confusing topic for children so young to try to understand. It did click for some of them though, and I couldn't help but to smile and be so proud of them, watching them get the right answer and, not only that, but also being able to explain their answer!
And I know I've mentioned lunch in every single one of the classroom posts, but I love hearing them using their pleases and thank yous. I love seeing them being polite to other people. I love the smiles on the lunch ladies' faces when they hear student after student saying please and thank you when getting their lunch. They care about these kids just as much as the teachers do. They don't have to, but the take the time to learn the students' names and they talk to the students and ask about things going on in their lives. I'm not sure, but I think that is a pretty big deal to the students, especially the younger students. And I think that the students being so polite to the lunch ladies is a big deal for them as well.
And now time for a cute conversation!
First grader: What's your name?
Me: Miss Wilcox. You know that...
First grader: No, but your real name?
So I think, "what the heck? It's the last day, I'll tell them." I show her my ID card.
First grader: Kimberly. That's how you say it, right? Kimberly?
Me: Yup.
First grader: Well that's a pretty name. Your parents did a good job naming you.
Me: Well thank you sweetie.
First grader: I think I'm gonna name my kids Kimberly too.
I don't think it's entirely hit me yet that this is over. I mean, I know it is... but I don't think it's going to fully hit me until Tuesday morning when I don't wake up at 5:30 in the morning. As much as I'm going to love being able to sleep in again, I'm kind of going to miss waking up and going to "my" classroom to see "my" students for the day.
The kids were all happy and hyper and in a great mood this morning, like they usually are. But today, there was a sadness under the happy hyperness. "Is it really your last day? Do you really have to leave?" they asked me so many times today. They got up from their seats so many times just to come over and give me a hug. It's hard, you know? I mean, it was only 8 days, but you get so attached to the kids and they get so attached to you. I'm really going to miss being in the classroom and working with the kids.
I made them goody bags and brought in oreos for them for snack for today because I wanted to make my last day with them special. I gave them the bags right before recess so that the candy and little toys wouldn't be a distraction during class time. They made me cards saying how much they would miss me and how much they loved having me in their classroom, and for journals today, their topic to write on was "My favorite memory with Miss Wilcox is..." A few of them gave me their journal entries from today. Reading through the cards, and listening to them read their journal entries, I honestly thought I was going to cry. My eyes wear tear-filled, but I couldn't let the tears fall. Not in front of the kids.
At the end of the day, after the students had all left, I just kind of stood there in the middle of the classroom with my eyes full of tears and just said aloud, "I can't believe... it's... over." Where did the time go? It went by too quickly; I would have loved to have another week or two in the classroom. Even if it meant having to do more assignments, it would be so worth it. I've learned so much these past four weeks, and more time would mean learning more. I learned more about what it means to be a teacher during my time in the classroom than I have from sitting in class at college.
But about today. It was, overall, a pretty good day. As usual, I spent the morning checking off who'd done homework, helping students with morning work, correcting work, and making copies. Though I was sad to be leaving, everything made me smile today. When they review phonics, it makes me happy to see them knowing the sounds the different vowel blends and digraphs make because they're learning to read and learning to love reading. I loved hearing them come up with "question sentences" and "telling sentences."
Today's math topic was really difficult for most of the students -- Usually math goes from 12:20 to 1:00, but today it wasn't over until a little after 1:30. They were working on regrouping numbers - like, if you're added 28 plus 6, you have 2 tens and 8 ones and you're adding another 6 ones to it. So you have 2 tens and 14 ones. Since 14 is 10 or more, you can take a group of ten from it, making it so you have 3 tens and 4 ones (so 28 + 6 = 34). It's a confusing topic to try and explain, and a confusing topic for children so young to try to understand. It did click for some of them though, and I couldn't help but to smile and be so proud of them, watching them get the right answer and, not only that, but also being able to explain their answer!
And I know I've mentioned lunch in every single one of the classroom posts, but I love hearing them using their pleases and thank yous. I love seeing them being polite to other people. I love the smiles on the lunch ladies' faces when they hear student after student saying please and thank you when getting their lunch. They care about these kids just as much as the teachers do. They don't have to, but the take the time to learn the students' names and they talk to the students and ask about things going on in their lives. I'm not sure, but I think that is a pretty big deal to the students, especially the younger students. And I think that the students being so polite to the lunch ladies is a big deal for them as well.
And now time for a cute conversation!
First grader: What's your name?
Me: Miss Wilcox. You know that...
First grader: No, but your real name?
So I think, "what the heck? It's the last day, I'll tell them." I show her my ID card.
First grader: Kimberly. That's how you say it, right? Kimberly?
Me: Yup.
First grader: Well that's a pretty name. Your parents did a good job naming you.
Me: Well thank you sweetie.
First grader: I think I'm gonna name my kids Kimberly too.
I don't think it's entirely hit me yet that this is over. I mean, I know it is... but I don't think it's going to fully hit me until Tuesday morning when I don't wake up at 5:30 in the morning. As much as I'm going to love being able to sleep in again, I'm kind of going to miss waking up and going to "my" classroom to see "my" students for the day.
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