End of a Chapter

My students had their last day of school on Friday. Although I do hope to make some cameo appearances at my school in the future, my time as their teacher is over. My students are the thing I will miss the very most from this job.

(On a side note, I realize I am steering myself towards a career that does not as much involve working with children... Maybe I'll take more storytelling gigs for kids. Or maybe I'll get to do some field work in media centers.)

Since I had worked with itty-bitties before (toddler story time), the younger elementary grades might have been a more obvious choice for me. But I was asked to take the older grades. I'm so glad it worked out that way, because I think I have really grown with them and learned about myself.

I love third, fourth, and fifth graders. AllMost of them. But I have felt especially close the the fifth grade. It could be because I knew them the best, after teaching those students for three years. Or it could be because I gave them more privileges, like having book clubs with me, and this allowed me to know some of them better. Or it could be that I have a special place in my heart for kids who are on the cusp of growing up.

What surprises me about this is that as soon as I first began to think of working in schools I knew I could do elementary or high school, but NOT middle. I hated middle school when I was a student. I vowed never to go back. I started to soften when Tersi Bendiburg said, during a workshop, that she likes middle school the most because of what they are going through. Positive adults can really make a difference in their lives. Now that I have learned I have something to offer those in the double digits, not just itty-bitties, I think maybe, just maybe, I could work with middle school children.

My students taught me that everyone has at least one area in which they shine, and if you help a student find that area, you are a hero. The library really can be a safe place for children to investigate their curiosities, especially with the help of an understanding librarian. I can read the same book four or five times a year, several years in a row, and not get tired of it. I can read to three classes a day, then come home and read to my own kids and not get tired of that (though I might get a little horse). And the energy and enthusiasm you put into teaching usually pays off - even if it's not always obvious right away.

I worked very hard to get this job, and in some ways it feel strange to just...leave. But I couldn't have done what I'm doing now four years ago. Something that's happened in the last four years has helped me get here. I think, though, that it is everything.