The boxes are packed up, the containers are closed, the kids are saying good-bye and goals have been reflected on. The stars that once hung on the ceiling are down in a pile on the desks, waiting to be moved to the portable on Monday. We are switching classrooms at Creekside Elementary and a new year awaits.
Teaching is so cyclical and we are at the close of another year. I will luckily get to see most of my students again in the fall with smiles on their faces, sharpened pencils, and new school supplies. We will go through routines again, catch up about summer trips, and begin another learning year and journey together after "Meet Your Teacher."
In teaching there is an open and a close. You can compare data in test scores and data on exit tickets from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. Did the students grow in their understanding of geometry? Do they know how to do algebra?
But in the bigger scheme of things, a lot of social-emotional learning is also happening. Did the student learn how to make a friend and keep a friend? Did the student learn how to laugh until their belly ached, write poetry, express their feelings or persist when life got hard? How do you measure friendship and compassion? These are important growth areas for children as well, and are arguably just as important (if not more important) than geometric equations on a test.
I hope when the students look back at this year of SAGE and PEP, they will remember the year they collaborated to make a Rube Goldberg machines, got really into books, made a new friend, learned how to code a microchip or code a game on scratch. I hope they learned to have deep book discussions and work with others to create plays and puppet shows.
Some of my special 5th graders are leaving this year, and of those, I have taught some since they were second graders pretending to be foxes on the regular. I remember teaching others how to read the word "tiger" and now they are moving onward to middle school.
My role is a unique one in the school. I get my kids year after year (as long as they don't move) and I am able to really see how they grow, learn and change. It is a gift. I don't have them as long during the day or week, but I get them over years of their elementary school life. I am lucky to have such a role and get to work with funny, quirky, fun and thoughtful kids. I hope they have a great summer.
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