Bittersweet, Awkward, and Gratitude!

Well, the year is over and we all finally have a chance to breathe, relax, and reflect on our students and our teaching.  With my new position in a new district next year, it was definitely a bittersweet week.

 I have had a student all year who randomly says "awkward" during the middle of a lesson.  Nearly every time it doesn't fit the situation, but it is kind of funny.  Anyway, on the last day of school I started to tell them how great they were, how lucky I was, and that I would never forget them.  As I am talking, I start crying and the kids get all weird.  Right in the middle of me crying, this boy says "awkward".  It was perfect!  At that moment I knew I had taught at least one kid something.  He finally mastered what was truly "awkward".  **Proud teaching moment!** Haha.

At the start of this week, my classroom was still intact and looked similar to these two pictures.  Knowing I was leaving, I had a lot TREMENDOUS amount of work to do to clean out my room, cabinets, classroom library, and all of the other crap I had accumulated for "someday" activities and time.  I knew I was just putting off the inevitable...

So after spending Memorial Day in the room, dragging my mom in all day on Wednesday, and loading up her van, and my car, twice, my room finally looks like this.  I must say walking out this evening was  sad.  The teaching profession is all about creating a safe, learning environment that encourages collaboration, critical thinking, and well rounded students.  To be honest, all I could do was cry when I looked back and this was all I could see of my last 5 years in this school.  

 I walked out, said good bye to The Riley Ranch (or what once was), and looked on to the great new beginning that will be!

And for the gratitude.  The teachers and staff I work with are the most amazing individuals I have ever met.  They have pushed me professionally, allowed me to pick their brains constantly, let me make crazy mistakes, made me laugh, made me cry, and most of all made me a better person.  I have the utmost gratitude for all of them, and would not be the teacher I am today without all of them.

And to top it off, they nominated me for Teacher of the Year this year!  Crazy, right?  Right!  Do they even know how much I have learned from them!? Boy I hope so!