Mrs. V's Blog |
Mrs. V's Blog |
(Another long one, I'm afraid...Make sure you make it all the way to the end, there are some awesome links!!!)
I sit here, a few days before the last day of school, knowing I have to write this blog post, unsure of where to start, or how to recap our year. It's hard to believe that it's already time to write my final post. I feel like I just sent out my summer welcome letters. This year has gone by so quickly and to be a bit cliche, you know what they say... "Time flies when you're having fun!" I will truly miss this group of kids. We have experienced so many awesome things, from talking football week one, to team building, to lip sync, to Northern Lights, we have had such an amazing year. We have come together and worked together in such a way that we are kind of like one big family. How lucky am I to be able to be a part of that? We haven't always been perfect, and it took some work to get where we are now. We've had to talk and listen and revisit expectations. We've had to remind each other that everyone deserves a chance to be heard and all of our voices matter. We've had to work on our competitive nature and remember that sometimes a game is truly just a game. Deep down though, each individual of this group cares about all students in the class. They have shown empathy, kindness, and understanding. If we didn't have to do all the hard work, when would we have learned all these life lessons? While we have been a fantastic group, I think it's also important to also recognize that we have 20 very special individuals in this room, that each have incredibly vibrant personalities. So here are a few things special things about each one... I will miss Maraya's quiet visits to my desk each morning to share her news, and her awesome tips and ideas about nail polish/design. Colby will be missed for his contagious smile and his love for all things hockey, lacrosse, and soccer. Abigail while always quiet, her personality came through during the lip sync and she really took charge. She is a true friend and cares so much about her friends. Her quiet smile at my desk each morning will be missed! Julia will be missed as our class ray of sunshine. She walks through the door and can immediately cheer up a room. Connor while often quiet, has a great love for his cats and I'll always remember his compassion for animals. Ryan surprised me with how well he worked with younger children. He also is a student who NEVER stops working at any task he is given. Kayla loved to come in and share her cute little outfits she picked out for her baby sister. I know she'll be an awesome big sister. Brandon shocked me this year with his amazing ability to dance and command a stage (see lip sync video!) and has the uncanny ability to make everyone in the room laugh at the drop of a hat. Jon's smooth delivery of one liners and sarcastic jokes will be missed. He also could bring down the room in giggles. Emily will be missed for many things, a quiet presence but a hard worker. I loved to hear her adventures in babysitting the twins and her stories about all of her animals. Makenzie told me right off in the beginning of the year that she DID NOT want to become a big sister. However, I will miss her daily stories of her baby sister and the photos she shares. She has certainly become a wonderful big sis. Jamison will be missed for his willingness to work with absolutely anyone and his kindness towards others. It doesn't matter who Jamie sits next to, he can always have a friendly conversation. Kyle and his love for non-fiction books will be missed. As well as the way each day, he'd find a new way to tell me his homework was finished, that often included him jumping up in the air and striking a pose upon landing. Alex and his love for reading is apparent. He carries a book with him wherever he goes. He had some high goals set for himself this year and he met those goals with all of his hard word. Ned shocked me this year when he stepped way out of his comfort zone and donned a dress and a wig for our lip sync battle. He has a quiet presence within a classroom but always strives to do what's right. Ella took charge around lip sync time, found her voice within our room and stepped nicely into her leadership role. I will miss her work ethic and the strong example she sets within the room. Michael first surprised me at the assembly when we dyed Mr. Crowley's hair purple. Among the entire middle school, Michale stood out in the bleachers because he was dancing up a storm all by his lonesome, he didn't care who saw (later Brandon joined in too!). He carried these dance moves with him into the lip sync battle. Jameson's competitive nature will not be forgotten. I will miss him and his willingness to go out of his way to say hello to me, even when we aren't in school. Sam is so "happy-go- lucky." He has a bubbly personality that everyone loves. His Northern Lights bravery and willingness to try new things, (especially while being blindfolded!) really stands out as being his "break out" moment this year. Zoe came out of her shell this year. And yes like most girls in my classroom this year, she was a quiet presence, but she was a quiet leader. Always working hard, and doing what is right 100% of the time. Her bravery at Northern Lights and willingness to work through her fears really stood out to me. While I'm sad to see each of them go, I am so happy I got to experience this year with them, and I know each and everyone will find success in 7th grade and beyond. They are so ready and I'm confident and proud of them all. Thank you so much for sending me wonderful children. Thank you for sharing a great year with me. It truly has been awesome! Please take the time below to see a picture slideshow recap of all that awesome things we did (it's fair to warn you it's quite long, but we did so many awesome things!) Also, there is a video the class made this past week, and a video of the lip sync from April. Thanks again families- your kids are so great and will be missed. (Forewarning- it's a long post (a good one! but a long one!)- no pics are included in this post because I was not allowed to take photos! Instructors will be sharing photos soon!)
I hope when your students came home on Thursday they were excited to share about all of the awesome things they did at Northern Lights. We had such a blast on our trip! This is my favorite day of the whole year. It's when we take all of the things we've been working on all year, and put them to practice. Goal setting, communication, perseverance, teamwork, patience, listening, and positive talk, are just a few things that were put into practice. Your students were really put to the test and they all rose to the occasion. Something wonderful the instructors said to us before we started was "When you think you can't go any further, and fear has you frozen, just try and take one more step." This was something I think the students really took to heart. I saw this push a lot of students further than they would have ever thought they could go. They were faced with very difficult challenges as well as very REAL fears (being 40 feet off the ground will scare anyone!). I saw tears, I heard a lot of "I can't do this!" but through it all they truly did try and take one more step, a lot of them making it past the obstacle they didn't think they would. On top of that, the positive communication, the "you can do this!" and the "you got this!" made it a little easier for each and every participant. Here are the things I saw that would make any teacher and parent very proud... I saw Sam choose to be blindfolded to cross most of the high ropes course, including the Burma Bridge! I saw Julia, through very real fears and some tears, make it across the entire High Ropes ropes course, with the encouragement of her group and instructor. When I was forty feet up, I heard encouragement from Ella, and Emily, telling me I could do it and saying good job. I saw Michael choose the most challenging balance beam, on the outside edge. I saw Kyle freeze but take a step further and then make it through the entire high ropes obstacle. I saw Kayla, Brandon, and Makenzie decide, after coming down from the ropes course, to climb back up another high cargo net, and try the zip line. I saw Jon working his way through the high ropes course- he stopped mid way through the Earthquake bridge, frozen, but then heard encouragement from his teammates and kept going through. I saw Jameson, on the Earthquake bridge, stop and freeze, and I watched him close his eyes, gather himself, and push through, making it across. I saw Zoe, after saying she couldn't do the leap of faith, climb half way up, and freeze, she was even going to jump down, but she decided to take one more step, and then another, and then she made it almost to the top, working through her fears! I saw Jamison jump off the Zipline with what seemed like no fear, after making it through an entire course he was sure he wasn't going to finish. I saw Colby inching his way across the pipe dream, nervous, scared, but fighting the whole way to finish, making it all the way through the entire course. I saw and heard Ned yelling encouragement to my group from all the way on the other end of the ropes course! I saw Ryan volunteer to go first on the Leap of Faith, like a Spider Monkey he made it all the way to the top and swung off the top. I saw Alex choose the hardest bridge to get to the Zipline. He chose the Burma Bridge and inched his way across, all by himself. I saw Abby, vey nervous and afraid, looking like she was going to turn around, but she took that extra step and made it through the entire course. I saw Maraya fall on Pipe Dreams, but instead of getting scared and turning around to go down, she got up and kept going, making it through the whole thing. Not only did I get to see them succeed, I also got to be on the receiving end of their encouragement. I was climbing up the Leap of Faith and I froze at the top, unable to figure out how I would stand up, hugging the pole for dear life. Then I heard it, they were telling me I could do it, they told me to keep going, keep trying, and they didn't let me give up. With that little boost, I stood up and jumped, hitting the buoy. I was scared out of my mind, but their kind words helped me get through it. Each of them did something yesterday, that they should be so proud of. Watching them made me so happy and proud. It was a wonderful day. Getting to see kids and adults work through real fears all while remaining supportive of one another and keeping a positive attitude, is truly the best experience. I have the best job ever and I'm so proud of your amazing kids. |
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