Reflection

It's that time of the year again, when school lets out for the summer. It is always a mad dash to the end, so I rarely have time to reflect until I am taping that last box or covering that last bookshelf. I spent the day finishing packing up my room because I was very behind this year. I became frustrated when I saw that some of my students had not cleaned out their desks, after being asked multiple times. I look at those children and sometimes wonder if I had any impact on them through the course of the year. After six years of teaching, I have roughly been part of a hundred children's lives. It's amazing to think just how many children will walk in and out of my classroom door over time. They move on to another grade, another teacher, and another piece of their life, which has basically just begun. I get very nostalgic at the end of the year, because I know that my time with them is over, and a new school year waits. Every year is so different, because every day brings something new.

They leave with so much potential, and so much vitality for life. They are strong and resilient, and carry such a deep amount of love in their hearts. On the last day of school a little girl wrote me a note which said "I am like your daughter". That is how I always see my students. In ways they are a product of me. My ability to teach and coach them through life's experiences, as well as helping to instill values and morals do shape a part of them.

So, as I sat in front of those messy desks, I wondered what their future desks would look like. Will they learn to listen the first time? Will they become more organized and responsible? I may not have been able to develop those characteristics within them this year, but I am hopeful that the seed was planted.