It is summer! I made it! I've only been out of school for a week and a half, but it really feels like longer, maybe because lots has happened. Kaitlin moved out. Bethany moved in. I bought a car. I successfully got car insurance, which was an ordeal. I had my birthday. I chilled at home then came back here. Carrie came to visit. I started tutoring a boy from my class. I went to Read Aloud Delaware volunteer training. I went to a new members' picnic at church (not very fun), and I sang with the choir.
The last day of school was a half day. It was really nice. I invited all the parents to come at 9:00 for a class program/awards ceremony/kind-of graduation (minus the caps and gowns, although that's a goal for next year). Almost everyone came, and some brought aunts, uncles, and grandparents. The kids sang a bunch of cute songs and mostly did a great job, even though we hadn't rehearsed nearly as much as I'd hoped, and every time we did practice it ended in me yelling at them. And I dropped on of the CDs behind a cubby so we had to skip our last song. My students just kind of rolled their eyes when I told them that. Typical Miss Seefeldt. Before our class program, I had the chance to read the students "You are Special" by Max Lucado. And then we had two extra minutes so we danced around to "Bananaphone" holding a plastic banana. After the class program, we went to the cafeteria for the all-school chapel--or should I call it "cryfest." Each class performed something. We sang "You've Got a Friend in Me." First grade did this beautiful worship song with sign language. Kaitlin's class also did sign language to a worship song--"Let It Rise." I was in the front row sitting right in front of one of her students that I love a lot. Kaitlin had been telling me about this for a while and how her students said they were going to cry. I was trying to keep it together, and I saw Kaitlin and some of her students were teary-eyed. Then towards the end I heard all these people sobbing. I guess the girls and 3rd and 4th grade all started crying. During the instrumental break of the song, each student (and Kaitlin) turned around a little sign they made about something they wanted to "rise to." Everyone picked something that was really appropriate for them (more Godly, more teachable, less attitude), and it made the song even more touching. After that, Bev presented awards, and then Rob honored Bev, Linda, and Kaitlin since they are all leaving (or I guess I should say that they left). Then everyone was crying. All in all, it was a nice morning and a nice way to end the year.
After that, we had to stuff envelopes for two hours for an Urban Promise mailing. Not so nice. I wanted to be either a) celebrating the end of school by going out to lunch or by going home to curl up and watch a movie (it was chilly and rainy) or b) starting the gargantuan task of cleaning and putting away my classroom that I had very limited time to complete. But no, I had to stuff envelopes. And I survived, despite my less than stellar attitude. And Kaitlin and Linda's last official responsibility at Urban Promise was to lick lots and lots of envelopes. Oh the life of working in full-time ministry.
After we finished stuffing envelopes, we went home, and Linda came over. And we quickly all realized we were very, very exhausted. I can't remember exactly what we did other than sitting around complaining about how tired we were. It was like our bodies had shut down. We had had just enough energy to eek through the last 2.5 hours of school and absolutely none left over. We rented Alice in Wonderland, but around 8:15 Kaitlin went to bed, and then Linda fell asleep on the couch while I just barely made it to the end and was fast asleep before 10:00.
The next day we got to start cleaning up our classrooms, and we also went out to lunch. Rob came and asked us deep questions about the year, which we answered between bites of bread sticks and Italian entrees. He asked us each to describe the school year and how we felt about in a phrase. I said something along the lines of challenging and draining. It was draining in (mostly) a good way. I feel like I poured out all I could, and in the end I was exhausted. I think Kaitlin, Linda, and me trying to hang out after school but just being way too tired is evidence that we all poured ourselves into this year and into our students and their families. And no, things did not turn out the way we wanted in some situations, maybe even in most situations. But we pressed on and didn't give up. So looking back now, that's a good feeling. And Kaitlin and Linda, I miss you, and I know school is going to be so different without you!
That's all for now. One of my students got himself kicked out of school a week before the end of the year, so maybe I'll write about that next time. For now I am off to the gym.
The last day of school was a half day. It was really nice. I invited all the parents to come at 9:00 for a class program/awards ceremony/kind-of graduation (minus the caps and gowns, although that's a goal for next year). Almost everyone came, and some brought aunts, uncles, and grandparents. The kids sang a bunch of cute songs and mostly did a great job, even though we hadn't rehearsed nearly as much as I'd hoped, and every time we did practice it ended in me yelling at them. And I dropped on of the CDs behind a cubby so we had to skip our last song. My students just kind of rolled their eyes when I told them that. Typical Miss Seefeldt. Before our class program, I had the chance to read the students "You are Special" by Max Lucado. And then we had two extra minutes so we danced around to "Bananaphone" holding a plastic banana. After the class program, we went to the cafeteria for the all-school chapel--or should I call it "cryfest." Each class performed something. We sang "You've Got a Friend in Me." First grade did this beautiful worship song with sign language. Kaitlin's class also did sign language to a worship song--"Let It Rise." I was in the front row sitting right in front of one of her students that I love a lot. Kaitlin had been telling me about this for a while and how her students said they were going to cry. I was trying to keep it together, and I saw Kaitlin and some of her students were teary-eyed. Then towards the end I heard all these people sobbing. I guess the girls and 3rd and 4th grade all started crying. During the instrumental break of the song, each student (and Kaitlin) turned around a little sign they made about something they wanted to "rise to." Everyone picked something that was really appropriate for them (more Godly, more teachable, less attitude), and it made the song even more touching. After that, Bev presented awards, and then Rob honored Bev, Linda, and Kaitlin since they are all leaving (or I guess I should say that they left). Then everyone was crying. All in all, it was a nice morning and a nice way to end the year.
After that, we had to stuff envelopes for two hours for an Urban Promise mailing. Not so nice. I wanted to be either a) celebrating the end of school by going out to lunch or by going home to curl up and watch a movie (it was chilly and rainy) or b) starting the gargantuan task of cleaning and putting away my classroom that I had very limited time to complete. But no, I had to stuff envelopes. And I survived, despite my less than stellar attitude. And Kaitlin and Linda's last official responsibility at Urban Promise was to lick lots and lots of envelopes. Oh the life of working in full-time ministry.
After we finished stuffing envelopes, we went home, and Linda came over. And we quickly all realized we were very, very exhausted. I can't remember exactly what we did other than sitting around complaining about how tired we were. It was like our bodies had shut down. We had had just enough energy to eek through the last 2.5 hours of school and absolutely none left over. We rented Alice in Wonderland, but around 8:15 Kaitlin went to bed, and then Linda fell asleep on the couch while I just barely made it to the end and was fast asleep before 10:00.
The next day we got to start cleaning up our classrooms, and we also went out to lunch. Rob came and asked us deep questions about the year, which we answered between bites of bread sticks and Italian entrees. He asked us each to describe the school year and how we felt about in a phrase. I said something along the lines of challenging and draining. It was draining in (mostly) a good way. I feel like I poured out all I could, and in the end I was exhausted. I think Kaitlin, Linda, and me trying to hang out after school but just being way too tired is evidence that we all poured ourselves into this year and into our students and their families. And no, things did not turn out the way we wanted in some situations, maybe even in most situations. But we pressed on and didn't give up. So looking back now, that's a good feeling. And Kaitlin and Linda, I miss you, and I know school is going to be so different without you!
That's all for now. One of my students got himself kicked out of school a week before the end of the year, so maybe I'll write about that next time. For now I am off to the gym.
Comments