Today was the last day of school. My last day as a 5th grade teacher. Next year I will be teaching sweet little 2nd graders and I am so excited about it. But before a new beginning can begin, something else must come to an end.
As I sat at my desk, amazed by how silent my room could be, looking at where my classroom jobs used to be posted, at the bare art wall that I admired and where I placed all my students artwork and sweet notes, I was reminded of all the memories that were made in that room. I thought I would take the time to jot down some of my favorites before they become lost in my brain.
So here ya go: my top favorite 5th grade moments.
*A particular student got in trouble on the playground. When I questioned him on what he thought his consequence should be he replied, in a very Eeyore-like voice, "I guess I'll go to hell" to which I replied "Well, not today."
*One of my students could tell how badly I wanted an iPad to use in my class. I had explained to them that Mr. O'Banion liked to save money and he didn't understand how it would really come in handy. This student came to me at the end of the day with a handwritten letter to Landen detailing very specifically just why I needed an iPad and how I could use it. It must have touched Landen because I returned to school with an iPad the following Monday. Lesson learned: use your kids!
*My homeroom chose Adele's Set Fire to the Rain as their theme song. One Friday we were listening to it before announcements and I looked over to see P standing on the stool jamming. Before I could tell him to get down he leaps off the stool, landing in a perfect guitar pose. Needless to say I am so glad he didn't die; or that Mrs. F didn't walk in. Not sure how I could have connected that moment to my content standards.
*My entire "reproduction" unit. Enough said.
*This is one of those moments that is so horrible you can only laugh about it. I had a particularly, ummm, let's just say, challenging, class at the end of the day this year. It was the first time I had attempted a science lab activity with them and team work was definitely not their strongest point. The objective of the activity was to balance text books on certain objects. At this particular moment in time chaos had erupted in my classroom. Every group was arguing with each other and I was stuck trying to scream over 30 fifth graders. All of a sudden, one of my groups FREAKED OUT on each other. Imagine this:
one student knocks a science book out of another students hands.
this book hits a student on the head
student grabs head and starts running around the table screaming.
Another student (who came with a whole backpack full of problems) starts chasing student around the table screaming "Die! Die! Die!" and fake stabbing him to death".
(Yes people, I was teaching 5th graders).
At the EXACT moment that all you-know-what had broken out in my room, my principal walks into my room to do a walk-thru.
Like I said...you can only laugh about it.
*When my homeroom decided that "just in case" I go into labor they needed an emergency backup plan:
*Singing songs at the top of our lungs coming back from our field trip. Sorry Mr. Bus Driver. My bad. I didn't know that one amazing rendition on my part of Little Bunny FooFoo would lead to an entire Ancient and Forgotten Children's Song concert by an entire busload of sugar-crazed 11 year olds. I 'pologize.
*During our Owl Pellet dissection activity, one of my students came to me completely pale faced, grasping his stomach informing me that he was going to puke.
*And lastly,
When I was looking at some pictures on my phone today and realized that one of my students had hi-jacked my phone and left me a hilarious video message alerting me to the fact that she had hacked my phone, she loved me and my class, and then pretend kissed me on both cheeks.
Teaching 5th grade definitely had its highs and low's, but one things is for sure. At 1:30 this afternoon, a little piece of my heart walked out that door with each of those precious kids.
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