Bittersweet Goodbyes...

(View from the school playground... not bad.)

Today is the first day of my "summer vacation" although I've spent the majority of the day relatively busy. I had to be back at the school to finish clearing out my classroom this morning and this afternoon we went by the new apartment to make some final measurements... it looks like we may be moving sooner than planned so we also had to finalize some of the moving details.

I'm pretty excited about the move, it was totally unplanned (but was too good of an opportunity to pass on) and kind of changes my few weeks of relaxation into a few weeks of moving chaos, but that's just fine by me...if there is one thing I love it's moving! I hate the packing and unpacking but I love living somewhere different and new and having the opportunity to redecorate! In my 27 years of life I have moved...14 times, this being #15 absolutely crazy right... out of those 14 times 3 have been to different states, and 2 have been to new cities within the same state. Granted about half of those moves I did with my family so I didn't have to actually find the homes or worry about decorating an entire house but the other half I would pretty much say are moves I've done as an adult. Each time has been completely different and no two houses or apts. have been the same which I love. Even when I was growing up I would re-decorate or re-arrange my bedroom at least once a month, I love change and I love new beginnings and the new feel that even the smallest of changes can make.

Anyhow...back to summer vacation and bittersweet goodbyes which is really what this post is supposed to be about...It was sad seeing my classroom empty and quiet, don't get me wrong I am 100% excited to NOT be working today, but it was an intense 7 weeks of an incredible opportunity to teach my very own class before I am even done with my teaching program. I loved every second of it, even when I thought I might scream if I heard one more child whining the name Misssssss... Veeeeeee ! They were absolutely the cutest kids and the growth that happened in those short 7 weeks was incredible to watch and so fulfilling to know that I had played a role in that. Here are a few shots of my classroom..

My Room & Students Artwork..

The front of the room, calendar, art center, reading center...

We did so much this summer, not only academically but also tons of fun day trips, to the fair, the museum, the park, movies, water parks etc. ! The last day of school we held a huge talent show where each class participated, followed by a slide show, magic show and face painting. The kids loved it and I have to admit I was caught tearing up more than a few times... so embarrassing. I have to be biased and say that our class was by far the cutest in the talent show! We performed the "Penguin Song & Dance" which is essentially a repeat after me song, so I knew that they could handle it and it was a fun way to get the rest of the school involved, I made cute little penguin hats for the kids to wear which they loved and insisted that I call them Penguin (Insert First Name) all day long...which they thought was the funniest thing they had ever heard. I was so proud of them, not one single student froze on stage, granted we practiced for about two weeks straight so they were pros by the end....

My Little Penguins...

All in all it was a great day, sad but also happy, I was proud of them for their accomplishments, proud of myself for making it through without a nervous breakdown, and proud that all of us spent the summer growing and learning in our own ways. I'll be back to being a student again in a few weeks, no longer a teacher and I'm totally welcoming the change in pace, but I can't wait to do it all again soon.

Miss. V and her Penguins..

XOXO- Miss. V