My student teaching placement has officially ended. Don’t get me wrong. There’s still write ups I need to do and a portfolio to fill with artifacts, but my time at school with an amazing supervising teacher and the best students is over.
The beginning of my last day started at 6:30 AM. I arrived at the home of a retired teacher who had prepared a breakfast feast for the school community. Needless to say, I filled myself with delicious home fries, quiche, blueberry stuffed french toast, and donuts. While there, I mingled with a few of my colleagues and some of the students who had been brought by their parents. By 7:30, I was on my way back the other direction because I planned to pick up a Mexican rosy boa to bring to school. Today was designated as a Read-A-Thon, which consists of half hour blocks of reading and half hour activities in between. All day. Does that sound perfect or what? For my activities, I planned to have students craft pinata ornaments and to introduce them to the exciting world of reptiles.
The students loved the snake, even those who claimed to have a fear of them. We were able to hold her, and I shared fun facts with them all. The ornament craft went over well, too. I assisted my mentor teacher with her activity involving baking chocolate chip cookies, and it was the best thing to see boys bake for the first time. By the end of the day, I had eaten even more food, including sweets brought by the students and a variety of dishes for a teacher potluck. Throughout the day, I also received an abundance of gifts. Girls from the 6th grade class gave me a Christmas cactus, homemade ornament, and a jar of hot cocoa mix plus added treats. I also got a few candy grams. (I think the students purposefully exaggerated the amount they told me I would receive yesterday and I just didn’t catch on. No worries!)
When the end of the day arrived, various students hugged me, begging me not to leave. I was the center of a group hug and gave high fives to the boys who were obviously too cool to join in. And of course, I had to shed a few tears. My time with them all is over, but I would love to have any opportunity to return some day. I wish them all the very best time as they finish this year and move onto the next. They all certainly deserve it.
athoughtfulmind 