These last days....

I can not believe there are only 5 1/2 days left with my precious 5th graders. I was blessed to have most of this group while they were 3rd graders and was so excited to get to have them again this year. I have gotten to see them grow and change throughout this year. As I pack up my classroom and get ready to shut things down for the year I catch myself looking at their sweet faces ( I still see that baby 3rd grade face on most of them) and wondering who they will grow to be, hoping that I have given them as much as I can before they enter the scary world of Jr. High. I think that this is one of my favorite parts about being a teacher... it is so cool to see kids turn into little adults and start to grow into who they are. We get to watch them begin to form their own opinions and express them (even if we do not always agree with them), we get to see them interact with their peers and see the kindness within them shine through, we get to see them rise up to an opportunity to share what they believe in, we get to see the light bulb moments when something that they have been struggling with clicks. It is AWESOME!! I am always excited at the end of a year to see how far they have come but so sad to see them go. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE summer time but, it is hard not to see my 5th grade kiddos on a daily basis and know that when I see them again they will be in Jr. High! I am so proud of this group and I know that the BEST IS YET TO COME from them!