My So Called New Years Blog

First and foremost, thank you, Adam for contributing your piece about our cohort. Elementary Education certainly needs to hear from the male perspective every so often.

So, I said good bye to my old placement right before the Winter Break. I didn’t realize how hard it would be to say good bye to the students. They wrote and illustrated a book compiled of our memories in Classroom 206. Screw any jewelry I received from past (or maybe current) boyfriends or any keepsake collected from a vacation; this book is my most prized possessions. Fo real, fo real.

My last day was also blessed with the school’s holiday concert. Classroom 206 had been practicing for months. In fact, I distinctly remember thinking it was strange to introduce “Silver Bells” in October. All of the sunshine and puppies in the world could not compete with the cuteness exuded by the students during the holiday show. I mean, I guess I always thought kids were cute but I was not prepared for kids in their Christmas glory (I would be more politically correct and say holiday glory, but this population of children is pretty Christmas specific). The head start classrooms kicked off the show! There were about 50 four year olds crowding up on the stage. Only ten of them understood that they were supposed to be singing but only four of them knew which song. The rest of the kids were confused as all hell. Some were fighting; others were staring blankly out at the crowd. About 10 head start teachers roamed the stage frantically begging the kids to sing “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” It was adorable!

It was hard to leave the building, but at least I know I can always visit. I started my new placement on January 2 and will hopefully have as many memorable experiences. I am now working with fifth graders. I think its going to be a whole different ball game!