End of the Year & Beyond

Yesterday was the last day of school. As with other years, it was surreal. It did not seem like it could possibly be the last day of school. However, this year was unique leading to it seeming all the more hard to believe. Monday through Thursday I went on a trip with our 8th graders (the students that I have had for three years) on a college and coast tour. It was a perfect way to spend extra time with the students before the end of the school year. Friday the two teachers who had been with the 6th and 7th graders the rest of the week continued with them while a colleague and I prepared for graduation with the 8th graders. In the evening, we had a nice celebration of the students, and I am not sure when it will fully hit me that the school year is over and they are each moving on to the high school. Yet, I am thrilled for them to be moving on to the next stage of their educational careers and look forward to hearing about all of their great successes!

As far as the 6th and 7th graders, I did not have as strong of sense of closure with the end of the school year since I did not see them as much on our last week. However, it was great to check in with some of them on Friday to hear about their week as well as plans for the summer. The school was buzzing with excitement yesterday and it is always fun to see that flurry of activity.

Yes, another school year has come and gone - an especially busy school year with historical moments in our school's history of having its first graduating class, of shifting to being a 6th-8th language arts teacher as the school grew, of balancing teaching with pursuing my doctoral degree... The year was full of reflections (even though I was rarely able to blog about them), and I continue to reflect on the three years at my school watching our programs become established and grow. I have been considering what has been working well and what I would like to improve. I am paying attention to aspects that I did not include this year as I was trying to juggle various priorities into a shorter time period and realizing that some need to be woven back in. I am celebrating successes of improvements.

This summer has a different feel because next year will be different. I have accepted a position to fill in as a year long sabbatical replacement at a local branch campus of the college where I attended for my undergraduate and master's. There will be aspects that I will miss about being in my classroom, but I am also excited about what is to come and the possibilities of next year. Most importantly, I am looking forward to an opportunity to examine my practice and our program from a different angle. I will still be working closely with the teachers and students at my school, including collecting data for my dissertation.