If I don't write about it I just might cry, again...

Out of any combination of kids in the world to have been my first second grade class ever, I don't think I could possibly imagine a more wonderful group of kids. There are no words to explain how amazing every last one of them has been this year. I love them to pieces, we laugh together every day, we talk about the serious things of life together each day, it is absolutely and in every way like a little family. (And with that I mean to say, don't think there weren't days that we drove each other nuts, like in every good family, but even in those nutty moments, we have still felt pretty good together.) Every year I wonder how I'll really be able to say good-bye and how I could ever feel so good with another class. Of course, I do and it all works out, but man, if I could keep these guys another year I would. (And it doesn't help that they are asking me daily to teach them again next year and that their parents are wanting me to move up with them as well - it's tempting, but I think in the end better for my career if I spend at least two years in a row teaching the same thing - in eight years it's been something different every year.)

So what got this post going in my mind, what got me on the verge of tears again this morning, was reading what the students have written about/to each other. For the end of the year I'm having each child write what they like best about every other child in the class. It's not me actually, it's them, they came up with this ideas themselves sometime in the fall and I wrote myself a post-it and stuck it in my plan book so I'd remember it for the end of the year. In our curriculum (as I've mentioned before) we learn about these profiles and attitudes - good ways for people to be (respectful, tolerant, commited, risk-takers, etc.), so the children themselves decided at the end of the year after we've studied all of them, they should have a chance to let their classmates know which ones they think they are good at. (I mean that alone, how cool are these second grade students of mine??) So now I'm just re-reading them and here goes on some of them.....(you'll see they're not quite sure how to use the words grammatically correctly yet, but trust me, they know what the words mean and are using them in the right places). :)

"Sorry of other times when we were fighting. You are respect to me."

"I think you are very communicator. I like your petshops very much."

"Thank you for being caring to me. I loved being friends!"

"You were very funny. I like funny people! I like being your friend."

"I like soccer too, just like you! You are pretty commitment!"

"I will never forget how fast you can swim, you were faster than all the boys!"

"I will never forget your dancing skills and your beautiful handwriting!"

"You are very balanced because in sports you are good sportsmanship."

"You are good to each children."

"I like you because you believe in people."

(Is it pretty amazing that 7 and 8 year olds can express appreciation to each other about things like this??)

Well, here was the kicker that almost brought me to tears...they were also allowed to write a note to themselves so they can look back on it someday and see what they thought about themselves this year, and how can you not melt when you read something like this...

"Dear Me,
I was a thinker. I was caring and I was an inquirer too.
It all happened in 2B."

Ok, maybe I'm overly emotional this time of year and it doesn't say so much at all, but I read that and I see that my students recognize and appreciate their accomplishments for the year and they think that 2B was a pretty great place to be. She wants herself to remind herself of that years from now when she reads this. I doesn't get much better than that.