It's been a while since my last post, and wow, has time flied! I was honored with giving the eighth grade graduation speech! Then today, on the last day of school, I watched my students walk away from me with pride, to know that they can carry their heads on their shoulders and have no need of me anymore. Their old man, their grateful teacher, I got to watch them walk away from the school today like a proud adult. I'll never forget the smiles on their faces as the buses pulled away. Us teachers did a great job, and we have a lot to be proud of. We're not strangers anymore, and after a pandemic, I think that's one thing we can be proud of. We're all travelers now, walking different paths, but living nourishing lives in eachother's memories. For the second to last day, I had some students give me a haircut. Oy vey! The risks I take for these students. Something I kept private from my students was the long journey behind me that brought me to becoming a teacher, to feel that I could never speak, that I was not welcome. It gives me pride to hear student voices, to know that they felt a home in my classroom, and that they can look back at this year and know that someone cared about them. We ended the year by going around a circle and answering the following questions after I gave a speech standing on a chair:
What is your favorite memory from English?
What are you looking forward to most in High School?
After those questions, one of my students suggested that I go around the circle and compliment everyone, and then I had to have all the students compliment me. Oy vey, let me tell you about this student. She's the greatest voice for the student body, but she sure does know how to make me feel vulnerable. So, after complimenting every student, I heard students tell me their own truths, words that they wanted to speak, and while the words came across as sharp, at times rough around the edges, they definitely let me know that I had made a difference. I did the same for every other class, took pictures with incredible students, received notes and gifts, and was happier than I've ever felt. Now, we end this year by saying goodbye, but a small goodbye, to know that we carry eachother's knowledge, eachother's emotions, and we can all sing the same song, of joy and accomplishment! The next door feels big for me, as I'm sure it does for my students too. Onward and forward!
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