Today was the last day with students. Honestly, last week was kind of the last week with students, because most stopped coming after their exams were done, and grades were due on Monday, so there wasn't much of a point to come after Monday. That was strange and a little frustrating, because I didn't have a proper goodbye. When they left after their exams, I didn't know if they would be back for the handful of classes we technically had left or not. Some promised they would come say goodbye--while others mentally wished me good riddance, I'm sure. Some did come say goodbye, some passed their Well Wishes through other students, and some came to school until the very last day. Don't get me wrong, it was everything I wanted all year, just not at the right time. A work week without would have been great earlier in the year, but there's not much to done once grades are turned in and your room is packed away. The other Frau and I managed to work out a skeletal outline of what we want next year to look like (topics, grammar goals, quizzes, projects, etc.), so we did put the time to good use.
And my brain is buzzing with ideas for next year. I've been waiting for next year since day one of this year! I knew I would make mistakes this year. There would be days that were beyond frustrating and lessons that would flop and whole units or projects I would want to redo. And the beautiful thing about my job, is I get just the chance to do just that. And even the things I don't change might not work on next year's students, so I'll have to spontaneously change it at the right time. That's what I love about the job. Although my content does not really change, the students sure do. I'm fascinated by how students in one class can love an activity or ace an assessment while another class of the exact same lesson can hate the activity or fail the assessment. That's just how it goes. There's no special formula for being a good teacher or engaging your whole class or getting the students to learn your content; instead, there are tons of great methods and theories that all work for various students in various situations. But I wouldn't change that. Sitting around with the students this week reminded me just how much I love this job. I love how, even on the bad days, the classes zip by (unless I'm giving an exam). Weeks may seem long, but but the days generally don't.
When I think about all I anticipated and all I was unsure about, I still feel the same way in some ways. I understand the general workings of my school and responsibilities I have besides planning and teaching lessons. I have a better idea of the curriculum and the flow that it should have. And I have a year's worth of experience finally under my belt. But there's still so much I don't know. I don't claim to be the best teacher, or even close. I know I had some awesome ideas and awesome lessons, but I know I also had some miserable and awful lessons that I do not want to repeat next year. I'm constantly learning and figuring things out, and I hope that never changes.
Graduation was also yesterday, and as a teacher, I was in attendance. I only knew a handful of seniors, because the majority of my students were freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. Seeing them all graduate made me think back to my high school and college graduation, and all the hope and excitement it brought. It also made me really excited to see the students I had this year graduate over the next three years. I know the ceremony will be more meaningful to me when I know more of the students. Hopefully I'm here long enough to see them all graduate! :-)
So, now I just have one more half-day--a half-day of stuffing envelopes for my homeroom class report cards, checking off everything on the school's checklist, and saying goodbye to the friends I've made. Then it's off to home for a week for my birthday week and Europe (Germany, France, and Spain) with the school for two weeks!
And now for the perfect song to describe my feelings about summer:
Thank God for the Summertime - Ben Rector :-)
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