End of the Year Goodbyes

This morning I noticed on Facebook (yes, Elementaryhistoryteacher has a profile, but it's under an assumed name) several of my former students were commenting they just had one more week of school. Fellow educators were also giddy at the thought the school year is almost over.

Can’t say that I blame them.

In May, 2006 I was posting concerning end of the year awards and a letter that ALL of my students receive at the end of the year. I provide the full text of the letter and encourage other teachers to use it if they so desire.

I finally managed to get our team awards done yesterday and gave them to my team members so they could verify signatures, etc. I typed up awards for all As all year in each academic area, and most improved in each homeroom. The front office prepared our certificates for all As all year, all As and Bs all year, and perfect attendance----the usual, you know. As a team we decided to give our awards tomorrow so if there is some sort of mistake it can be corrected in time to give a new certificate to a student. As of 3:30 p.m. we still did not have our certificates the office was going to prepare. I hope we get them tomorrow morning.

My plan is to give out awards, have students place them in their book bags, clean out desks, and take up textbooks. I’ll have the students help me clean out files, inventory and reorganize my classroom library, dust, sweep, and step-and-fetch. We clean in my classroom at least once every nine weeks and the little darlins’ love it. I wonder if they are this helpful at home? Never mind, I’m a mom. I know the answer.

One of the things I give out to all of my students is my final farewell letter to them. I’ve taught siblings of my students and invariably someone will say, “Oh, my sister still has her letter.” One young man told me last year that his mom keeps my letter in his older brother’s file with all of his awards.

The first year I taught I tried to hand the letter out and then read it aloud. I ended up crying, they ended up crying, and I don’t have to tell you how young people can become very dramatic. So I usually fold the letter in half and write their name on the paper. I hand them out and instruct everyone not to open their letter until everyone has theirs. Once everyone opens their letter together and begins to read I try to busy myself in a hurry. I put things away, I straighten papers, or I simply walk back and forth acting like I’m doing something. Invariably I catch a few girls and even boys wipe a tear away. Some of my strong, young men will put their heads down and wipe their eyes out of view. Luckily no one tries to hug me or I think I would just die.

As of this month several hundred students have received my letter. Here is what it says:

Dear Students:

At the end of my first year teaching I wanted to bring the year to a close by writing a note to my students. This letter has become a tradition---every student who has passed through my classroom has received this letter as my farewell. It is amazing to me that 380 students have received this letter so far. Please take the advice I give you to heart, and never forget that I care about your success.

The following is a poem written by Shel Silverstein---I thought it was appropriate for this point in your lives. Mr. Silverstein wrote:

All the woulda-coulda-shouldas
Layin’ in the Sun,
Talkin’ ‘bout the things-

They woulda-coulda-shoulda done…
But those woulda-coulda-shouldas
All ran away and hid
From one little did.

During your last year of elementary school followed by middle school and high school concentrate on doing things that will have a positive effect on your lives. Choose your friends wisely, listen to your parents and teachers, and do the very best you possibly can in everything you attempt.

On your final day of high school don’t look back on the things you would have done, could have done, or should have done. My hope is that you will look back on a fine, long list of accomplishments that happened because you aimed high, took chances, lived up to your potential, and most importantly you did something.

I will always consider myself to be your teacher. I hope you will stay in touch through the coming years to let me share in your success.

With fond memories of each of you, I remain,

Elementaryhistoryteacher

Ah, another year almost over.........

Valuable Time

Well, school is just about over in my neck of the woods. Time flies when you’re having fun, huh? It does just seem like the school year started, and now we are facing a long, hot summer.

Teachers are finishing up their grades and getting ready to enter into that wonderful season of post-planning bliss….a flurry of activity as teachers hurriedly move their classrooms from one side of the building to the other, book inventories are taken, test scores are filed, permanent records are checked off, and class rolls are set for the coming year.

It’s also a time to assess things…many, many things.

Were teaching goals met?

What was a success?

What was a failure?

Where could things have done differently?

How are you going to incorporate any changes into your lessons based on local, state, or national changes that inevitably are made regarding what you do?

The summer is short. Our time is valuable. Making the most of the next eight weeks could make or break the new school year already looming before us.

The situation reminds me of an often told story from the life of Ben Franklin….a story I use with my students from time to time to remind them how valuable their time is. How easy it is to take our eyes off our goals….how easy it is to lose focus.

Here’s the story:

One morning Ben Franklin was preparing his newspaper for printing when a customer stopped by in his store and spent an hour browsing the various books for sale. Finally, he took one in his hand and asked the shop assistant the cost.
The assistant answered, “One dollar.”

The customer said, “A dollar. Can’t you sell it for less?”

“No, the price is a dollar,” replied the assistant.

The customer said he wanted to see Mr. Franklin. When Ben appeared from the back room, the customer asked how much he wanted for the book.

Franklin said, “One dollar and a quarter.”

The customer was taken aback. “Your assistant asked for only a dollar.”

Franklin said, “If you had bought it from him, I could sell it to you for a dollar. But you have taken me away from the business I was engaged in.”

The customer pressed on, “Come on, Mr. Franklin, what is the lowest price you’ll take for it?”

Franklin said, “One dollar and a half. And the longer we discuss it, the more of my time you are taking up and more I have to charge you.”

Ben sets a good example for us, doesn't he?

Oh sure, I understand. The summer has started. We all deserve some time off, but we have important business to be about even if it is done while sitting by the pool or just merely enjoying getting reacquainted with our homes.

Make a plan, set your goals, and take Mr. Franklin’s advice.

Your time is very, very valuable.

It's Happy Dance Time!

It's all over now but post-planning, isn't it? Now it's on to spending the next eight weeks tweaking those lesson plans, creating new slide presentations, looking for new sources, and research, research, research. Oh, and don't forget team meetings to plan, professional development classes to attend, college classes to finish up at break neck speed, and reading all of those professional manuals and research books you've stacked up for the summer.

....and you just thought we sat around and ate bon-bons all summer, didn't you?

If you are a parent, I sympathize with your plight.

If you are a fellow educator, HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!

Ah....the Month of May

Excuse the following trite beginning….I simply couldn’t help myself.

May…it is the worst of times….it is the best of times.

The month of May can be classified as the worst of times because testing has been over for at least three weeks. Students pretty much shut down after the final answer has been bubbled, answer sheets have been checked for stray pencil marks, and the standardized “gold” has been packed up and delivered to those high upon that ivory and jewel encrusted tower for analysis and much manipulation.

The month of May can be classified as the worst of times because by the time the ninth month of school rolls around students, teachers, and administrators have been about as tolerant with one another as they possibly can. The colleage or student that rubs you the wrong way seems to try to do so just that much harder once May rolls around. It gets harder and harder to sit on your hands and keep your mouth spouting positives when what you’d really like to do is cross every bridge and torch it into oblivion as you go.

The month of May is also that happy time when parents you have called, have written, have emailed continously all year to please, please engage in a conversation with you regarding their child finally shows up at your classroom door to- to- to- to NOT discuss why their child has been tardy 25 times, NOT discuss why their child has been absent 30 days, NOT discuss why their child has only turned in half of the assignments in each subject each term of the year, NOT discuss why their child has exhibited violent outbursts towards students and figures of authority on the average of at least once daily, NOT discuss your concerns regarding their child’s habit of writing essays that focus on violence and even murder, NOT discuss why their child seems to be so depressed at times, so anxious at times, so insecure at times.

No, that would too easy. Instead May is that happy time of the year when the hard to reach, never have shown their face type of parent shows up and wants to conversate with you after school for two hours telling you their life story extolling a life style that could only exist in someone’s imagination because it’s all too incredible to believe. Stories involving the botched abortion that resulted in the child sitting in your room, the never ending list of significant others parading through the child’s life, and the stints in jail that permeate their child’s life suddenly make you all too aware of why the student acts as they do. The parent doesn’t tell you these things to shock you, but rather they tell you these things to show that any and everything else might be to blame, but they are not.

You realize, after attempting to steer the conversation back to the child’s school performance without little success, the parent isn’t there to help their child. They want you to enable them by simply listening, and then saying it’s ok, but it’s not ok because you’d be fired for telling them what you really think.

On the other hand…

May is the best of times because for many students if you tune in your brain just right and use your best observation skills you can truly see growth in each and every child even the ones like I described above. All children grow in some way during the school year. For example, my dear sweet helper who cried so much at the beginning of the year and followed me around like a little lost puppy…now she is more confident, has stopped following me, and tears? I haven’t seen them in at least two months. My young man who couldn’t seem to finish an assignment unless an adult sat next to him is completing more and more things on his own. One student who has a form of Autism will now sit with the group instead of hanging out on the periphery. My sweet young lady who was literally thrown out of her home and onto the lawn one cold, blustery morning along with her mother and sister (a pox on her father) has smiled more in the last month because her mom finally secured a place for them in a shelter. Thankfully as I move about the room the conversations I hear are the true conversations of a learning community…one where students are sharing information and resourses, one where I hear the phrase, “This is how I did the assignment. What do you think?” more and more and more. Instead of hearing demanding phrases like “Give it to me now.” I hear “Can you show me?”, “Can you tell me?” and “please” fills the air more than “shut-up.”

May is the best of times because I hear, “Gee I can’t wait for summer!” mixed in with “I’m going to miss everyone.” Students get on each others nerves, but many have bonded, they have become secure with one another, and they realize many of those bonds are about to be severed. Our time together is precious over the next few days. I realize it. The students realize it, and we strive to make the most of our moments even with the frustration that May can bring.

Still….we long for summer and announce the new tally at the beginning of each day.

On Monday we will begin the day with a chorus of NINE MORE DAYS!

Herding Cats and 12 Other Reasons I've Not Posted About Education Lately

Looking back I’ve not actually posted about education and my role within a school for several days. This time last year I was posting about discipline problems, frustrations, anticipation of a break to plan for the coming year, and kidding my husband about having eight weeks away from the classroom. However this May has been different. I’ve been writing about anything I possibly can dream up to avoid my fine profession, so here are some possible reasons why.

1. Momma said, “If you can’t say anything nice don’t say anything at all.” That kind of says it in an abbreviated version. Things have been tough lately in elementary world, and I just didn’t feel like airing my dirty laundry at the time.

2. My trip to Mississippi of course diverted me from my end of the year frustrations, and it has been fun so far to write about the things I saw.

3. I’ve been exhausted lately…..now that the big test is over students think school is over and how can we tell them otherwise when we have day after day after day of “activities” such as “Thank God the Big Old Test Is Over” Celebration, Career Day, Field Day, Accelerated Reader parties, and “You Have Amassed a Collection of 10 Great Behavior Slips Over a 9 Week Period” Party. I’m not knocking these these…..I’m just saying it’s hard to comply with an administrator’s directive to maintain order and structure when kids are are fliting about hither and yon. It makes for a crazy, confusing, exhausting day. One student had it right yesterday when he said….”When are we going to talk about history again. I miss it.” Gee little buddy, I do too. I showed my kids my Mississippi pictures today and we discussed how plantation owners lived. They were amazed.

4. Awards……Just like Santa I’ve been checking my list twice….trying to see who has been naughty and nice. I know to a non teacher type filling out award certificates seem like a no brainer, but this is a high stress part of my job. If I miss one kid…..if I misspell one name…..if I use a middle name instead of a given name…a given name instead of a nickname…..get the picture?

5. End of the year letter……I still haven’t printed these out. I must do this tomorrow. You can see my letter here. My letter is a tradition I have with all of my students. As of Friday 463 children will have received my letter. My high school intern was in my class when she was in the 5th grade, and she brought me her copy of my letter for my students to see the other day. They are now anxious to get theirs. I usually try to write a little personal note on the letters, and I hand them out when we are doing our awards ceremony in the classroom. I have 83 to complete by Friday.

6. I’m not sure why but Dear Hubby and I decided to begin yet another renovation project in the kitchen. Every dish, spice container, can of food, glass, and every other object in my cabinets is now spread about the house, and the cabinets are waiting patiently for a good sanding and paint job.

7. Test score analysis---------scores came in last week. Mine were great. I’ll post more about it later, however, as team leader I was asked to figure out our team’s high spots and low spots. I’ve been up to my elbows in long division and percentages…not my forte by any means.

8. A good portion of yesterday was spent taking up textbooks, checking them to make sure the numbers matched the ones I issued, and making sure there were no damaged pages. Loud Mouthed Boy better bring his math book to me tomorrow or I’m going to have to resort to filling out all sorts of required forms and will send home the letter informing Mom how much she owes. Why I have to go through this labor intensive exercise I don’t know…..Loud Mouth Boy’s Mom will never pay and it will never be brought up again.

9. Fights. Some kids have simply had it with each other by this time of the year. One of my sweet boys served three days detention because of a shoving match with another young man. Even our girls have had some problems. The stress of remaining vigilent every educational moment is draining the life right out of me.

10. Frustration……….We give awards for all As all year, all A/Bs all year, most improved, all As all year in each subject area, citizenship, and perfect attendance. We found out last week that administrators were directing us to make sure that every…..EVERY….student left school on Friday with an award. I cannot even begin to post here my opposition and total aversion to this practice. I am not alone in how I feel. Many at my school are also fuming. We began the year advertising the awards that would be available, and we discussed goals and benchmarks to reach the levels to receive these awards. I find it repulsive that the hard work of many students will be made so little of by also awarding students who have done only enough to get by. Do we think the children who work hard don’t notice this? As a parent I would consider it an insult if my child received an award they did not earn. I tell you….we had a hard time figuring out how we would meet the administrator’s directive. The main reason this is so hard to comply with is the directive isn’t to motivate those who didn’t make the cut……it is simply a diversionary tactic so that administrators can avoid those certain parent complaints that are inevitable as they wonder why there baby didn’t get an award for all As……gee, get a clue. Did you see any As on the report card all year? Where were you when we called you for a conference? Why did you hang up on me when I called to speak with you?

11. 178 days on the same roller coaster. I’m ready to get off the ride.

12. Herding cats….that’s what I have been doing for the last several days….and as I told someone today….we are attempting to herd a group of cats, and they are all distracted by a constant supply of lint blowing around on the floor. There is simply no way to maintain any semblance of classroom decorum at this point. Hmmmmm…….I wonder if I could manage to get everyone on the floor tomorrow, assume the lotus position, and chant for awhile. Ommmmmmmmmm…. Well, it was just a thought.

13. I’m tired, I’m brain dead, and I’m almost catatonic. I simply don’t have it in me to banter about educational issues because at this point I think I’m about as done as the cats, er……the kids.

Two more days with students and three additional with administrators and then…..elementaryhistoryteacher will be doing the happy dance once again.

Schools Out For Summer

Last night I was simply exhausted. I posted, I read a little, but yesterday was the first day in a long time that I didn't leave the school building with a bag of stuff to work on. It wasn't that I didn't have things to do I just felt like revolting yesterday. I guess it was the anticipation.

Last night hubby and I finally had napped long enough in our respective chairs to get up and go to bed. It dawned on me as I slid between the sheets that I would wake up to the last day of school. So I began chanting, "Last day of school. Last day of school." Hubby finally told me to go to sleep. Sometime later I felt his hand on my stomach. I woke long enough to realize I must have been snoring. So I said, "Was I snoring?"

He said, "Yeah, you were."

"What time is it?" I asked.

He said, "Twelve fifteen."

"You mean it's only been 20 minutes since we came to bed?" I felt a little silly so I started chanting again. This time I said, "Eight weeks off. Eight weeks off."

This isn't usually hubby's best time of the year. He gets a little grumpy as my summer begins because he would like to be home too. However, he knows I'm not sitting around eating bon bons all the time. I work on plans for most of the time I'm off and in July I usually go to school a couple of hours each morning to get my classroom ready.

In response to my second round of chanting hubby said, "Shut up." I rolled over and went back to sleep.

Around 1 a.m. my son came home and we woke for a bit. I did my chanting again. At least hubby laughed this time, but encouraged me to go back to sleep. Soon I heard his even breathing telling me he had drifted off. I lay there, and lay there, and lay there. Finally I started thinking about all the things I need to do to organize my classroom differently. In my mind I started in one corner and worked my way around the room. The next thing I knew it was 6 a.m. and it was the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!

All in all it was a good day. I told my students about my sleepless night and how I kept bothering my husband. I told them I was so happy I felt like Snoopy doing the happy dance. I reminded them what Snoopy looks like and then we all did the happy dance together. They loved it. Luckily I'm at the end of the hall so I don't get many walk-bys. They would have thought we had lost our minds.

We gave out awards in our classrooms (fifth grade gets the big hoo-rah with a formal ceremony, as well they should), a parent brought my team and I lunch from the local Mexican restaurant, there were no fights on the playground, and they all made it to their buses and cars to go home with no major incidents.

I go back next week for post planning but the stress level will be so different. Before I left my classroom today I went ahead and moved all of my desks together and stacked my chairs in groups of four. I picked up all the broken crayons and pencils from the floor and removed all evidence of our snack and soda we had during our afternoon movie just to go ahead and give my "office" that summertime feel.

Summer projects here I come!

Saying Goodbye to Students

I finally managed to get our team awards done yesterday and gave them to my team members so they could verify signatures, etc. I typed up awards for all As all year in each academic area, and most improved in each homeroom. The front office prepared our certificates for all As all year, all As and Bs all year, and perfect attendance----the usual, you know. As a team we decided to give our awards tomorrow so if there is some sort of mistake it can be corrected in time to give a new certificate to a student. As of 3:30 p.m. we still did not have our certificates the office was going to prepare. I hope we get them tomorrow morning.

My plan is to give out awards, have students place them in their book bags, clean out desks, and take up textbooks. I’ll have the students help me clean out files, inventory and reorganize my classroom library, dust, sweep, and step-and-fetch. We clean in my classroom at least once every nine weeks and the little darlins’ love it. I wonder if they are this helpful at home? Never mind, I’m a mom. I know the answer.

One of the things I give out to all of my students is my final farewell letter to them. I’ve taught siblings of my students and invariably someone will say, “Oh, my sister still has her letter.” One young man told me last year that his mom keeps my letter in his older brother’s file with all of his awards.

The first year I taught I tried to hand the letter out and then read it aloud. I ended up crying, they ended up crying, and I don’t have to tell you how young people can become very dramatic. So I usually fold the letter in half and write their name on the paper. I hand them out and instruct everyone not to open their letter until everyone has theirs. Once everyone opens their letter together and begins to read I try to busy myself in a hurry. I put things away, I straighten papers, or I simply walk back and forth acting like I’m doing something. Invariably I catch a few girls and even boys wipe a tear away. Some of my strong, young men will put their heads down and wipe their eyes out of view. Luckily no one tries to hug me or I think I would just die.

As of tomorrow 380 students have received my letter. Here is what it says:

Dear Students:

At the end of my first year teaching I wanted to bring the year to a close by writing a note to my students. This letter has become a tradition---every student who has passed through my classroom has received this letter as my farewell. It is amazing to me that 380 students have received this letter so far. Please take the advice I give you to heart, and never forget that I care about your success.

The following is a poem written by Shel Silverstein---I thought it was appropriate for this point in your lives. Mr. Silverstein wrote:

All the woulda-coulda-shouldas
Layin’ in the Sun,
Talkin’ ‘bout the things-

They woulda-coulda-shoulda done…
But those woulda-coulda-shouldas
All ran away and hid
From one little did.

During your last year of elementary school followed by middle school and high school concentrate on doing things that will have a positive effect on your lives. Choose your friends wisely, listen to your parents and teachers, and do the very best you possibly can in everything you attempt.

On your final day of high school don’t look back on the things you would have done, could have done, or should have done. My hope is that you will look back on a fine, long list of accomplishments that happened because you aimed high, took chances, lived up to your potential, and most importantly you did something.

I will always consider myself to be your teacher. I hope you will stay in touch through the coming years to let me share in your success.

With fond memories of each of you, I remain,

Elementaryhistoryteacher

Ah, another year almost over.........

Pie In the Sky

It’s been another difficult week. I will save you the boring, grisly details but to say that elementaryhistoryteacher is plumb tuckered out mentally and physically would only be a mediocre description of my educational experiences this week.

Rather than focusing on the past I’d rather share with you a more uplifting, forward thinking way to end my week. Yesterday my team and I met in my room for our weekly team meeting. As usual I had a lengthy agenda. I reminded the fourth grade teachers about a survey we are required to take online. I obtained the names of the necessary volunteers for the PTSO sponsored dance/gathering coming up any day now. I gave a deadline for award lists to be given to me so the certificates can be prepared. We discussed end of the year exams, career day, field day, and culminating projects. We finalized some details for the PTSO meeting where our grade level will be responsible for the program along with the fifth grade.

Finally, we discussed our team planning day coming up on the 11th. We will have all day to plan and discuss curriculum next Thursday. We will also have the opportunity to go out to lunch like other adults. Substitutes will be covering our classes. I gave my team an assignment. I asked them to take the next few days to seriously think about their year. What worked? What didn’t? If they could have the best fourth grade ever what would it look like? I told them to include projects, field trips, events, lessons, activities, procedures, student recognition, ways to motivate, and ways to involve parents. Finally I said, “Ladies, think outside of the box. Your goal is ‘pie in the sky’. What would the perfect fourth grade year be like if there were no obstacles?”

I’m hoping to have real meaningful dialogue next week to begin building that perfect year. I want to take an idea or two from each person and formulate a plan to achieve it. I’m anxious to hear their “Pie In the Sky Lists” and even though I’m beat up and worn slap out I’m looking forward to next year.

So….I’m wondering….what would be on your pie in the sky list. What kinds of things would you like to implement?