It's Dynamite

Yesterday was my last day working with some 5th and 6th graders that I've grown quite fond of. I'll be leaving my part-time teaching position and starting a full-time position at a different school on Monday. I'm extremely happy and excited for this new opportunity, but also a bit sad to be leaving a place where I've been working for over a year now. I'm grateful for the time and space that I've had there to grow and improve myself as a teacher, and I'm equally grateful for the wonderfully kind and helpful people that I've met.

When I told my kids I'd be leaving, I was remarkably touched by how genuinely sad and disappointed many of them were. I decided to surprise them on our last day with some peanut butter and jelly cookies I made (really delicious, btw), but was pleasantly surprised that they too, had surprises for me!

We reserved the last 15 minutes of class for opening presents and last words, and they each took their turn coming up to the front and presenting their gifts to me. Some of them read their cards aloud and proudly showed the class pictures they had drawn, some read poems that they had written in my honor, and then they all sang a class rendition of Taio Cruz's "Dynamite!" It was all so simple, earnest, and straight from their little 6th grade hearts - I couldn't help but feel extremely touched.

Along with my poems and cards, I also received 2 Silly Bandz (which apparently are all the rage among 6th graders now), 6 chocolate bars (which looked really familiar because I was asked the previous day to purchase them for a school fundraiser!), a yellow Care Bear, a Mickey Mouse notebook, 2 $1 bills, 1 penny, a purple bracelet, and Pizza Hut coupons!

Aren't kids the greatest?