On Friday I took down all the cheesy teaching posters, packed up my desk plant, turned in my keys and said a final farewell to the office staff at Buena Vista. As I drove toward home, I felt such a mix of excitement (the school year was complete and I had survived and even thrived at times!) and sadness (I missed my kids so much already). Somewhere amidst the all the struggles that were had in room C-2, my students had come to occupy a very special place in this heart of mine. On the day before finals, I told each class that I loved them and showed them a slideshow of pictures I had taken throughout the year. Let's just say I teared up in every class.
That night, Linds picked me up and we went to BJ's where we were met by Jason, Laura, and eventually, Joanna, all key players in my support system this year. Over yummy spinach-artichoke pizza and a Berry-Burst beer, I got to thank each of them for the roles they played in walking with me through this intense last year. It was such a sweet evening that I will never forget.
