The Last Day of School...Bittersweet

Tomorrow is the last day of school for students at Mercer, and I have mixed feelings. For one, it is hard to believe that my first year of teaching full-time is over already. Now I know how teachers who have been in the school for a while can forget exactly how many years they have been teaching. Time really does fly. I look back over the year, and some of the months just run together (and in the future, I am sure the years will run together too).

I am sad to see my students go. I have developed such a wonderful rapport with them, and we have become so comfortable with each other. I know, however, that no matter how long I teach, these will always be my first group of students. I will remember each and every one of them for a variety of reasons. :) On the other hand, I am excited to see them move on to first grade. I know that I have prepared them well, and I can't wait to see and hear about all of the wonderful things that they will accomplish next year. They are more than ready.

I am also looking forward to preparing for next year's students. I have learned a lot this year...what worked, what didn't work, lessons that flourished, and those that flopped. I am excited to try new and different things with a new set of students. It's almost as though I get to "try again." 

If I had to use one word to describe teaching, I would use "change." Education is full of constant change. Some of it good; some of it bad. No matter what happens, though, teachers must adjust and adapt. It's also not just about a change in students...it involves changes in policy, changes in grade assignments, changes in curriculum, changes in school programming, changes in technology, and quite possibly the most important: changes within yourself. Each new year brings new challenges...especially when no two children are exactly the same. Hey, I guess that's what makes teaching such an exciting profession.

Tomorrow will be an exciting and emotional day. I will probably shed some tears when I get back to my classroom after putting my students on the bus for the last time, but they will be tears of closure, joy, excitement, anticipation, exhaustion, and success after a job well done.