Second Grade!

I have made the transition to Second grade!  I do miss my little Kindergartners, but I'm already loving my Second graders.  It's crazy to see how independent children become in just two years. It has taken some adjustments to get used to how independent all of my students are and that they can work quietly (for the most part), but it does give me time to grade worksheets and gather materials for the next day.  This week was my first week with them and all week I have found that they enjoy telling me that they are "almost as tall as me".  I guess I do miss the fact that my Kindergartners did think that I was tall, but I guess second graders are just more aware of reality.  I'm starting to get the hang of the routine and just how much these kids can handle.  I'm looking forward to teaching lessons because I will be able to do so many different techniques and I will be able to use technology (such as clickers) for practice tests. We had our infamous Halloween party at school on Thursday, now I always remembered those parties were so much fun at school and this time I was excited to actually be on the "other" side of the party.  However, I quickly found out that when children eat sugar it has an IMMEDIATE effect on their little bodies.  My kids were bouncing off the walls! As I walked them outside to have their parents pick them up I turned around to check on them and all of their eyes were WIDE open and frantically looking around the hallways. Some were skipping , some were hopping and I was just waiting for the rest of their heads to start spinning.  Don't get me wrong the party was a lot of fun, but I now understand what my parents would hide my sisters and I's candy on top of the fridge as soon as we got home...our heads might have been spinning had we had access to all of that candy too.  Even though my students were going into a sugar coma as they walked out to their parents car, the party was a lot of fun and I had a wonderful time.  All in all...Second grade it going to be great!!

The ending of one chapter and the beginning of another....

I know it has been awhile since I have posted anything, and I apologize for that. My life quickly picked up as I took over everything in my classroom as well as shuffling my little darlings from one place to another.  However, my placement for Kindergarten is quickly coming to a close, next week will be my final week with them :(. It is hard to believe that I am already halfway through my Student Teaching! I have been working toward this final test for three years and had always thought that once I reached it everything would slow down and I could enjoy every last bit of it.  Unfortunately, I feel as though time is quickly slipping through my fingers and if I could only just grab and hold on to it for a little longer....I still have so much to learn....I can't leave now!!!!!! 

In all reality I could probably spend a whole year with my Kindergarten teacher and my little ones and still feel as if I had not learned everything possible.  So since I must face reality I must come to terms with leaving my seventeen precious Kindergartners and move on to the Second grade.  I am excited and at the same time nervous for how my next class will accept me.  My Kindergartners accepted me from the beginning, because I was there from the beginning. This second grade class may not be so accepting in the beginning, which is understandable but I really hope that it isn't the case.  For me, this transition is similar to leaving home for the very first time and not knowing what to expect. Kindergarten is my home...where my roots are grounded and now I will have to leave my safe and cozy home to step into the unknown....second grade.  Now, I have been told that second graders are just like bigger Kindergartners that are somewhat independent.  I could see how this statement would become more appealing but I honestly LOVE Kindergarten ...I always have.  Here are a few reasons why I love Kindergarten:


Reason 1: They think I'm tall :)

Reason 2: They love to help you and please you in whatever they do.

Reason 3: We share the same attention span and enjoy sitting on the floor.

Reason 4: We find the same things intriguing

Reason 5: We love to color

Reason 6: We have LARGE imaginations



I could probably go on about all the things that I have in common with my Kindergartners but then you all will start thinking that I have issues so I will stop there. 


Don't get me wrong though....I am excited to go on to Second Grade and see what I can learn.  But when you have had such an amazing experience with wonderful students and a phenomenal cooperating teacher you find it a little bit harder to just pick up and move on.   I know my next placement will be absolutely amazing and there will be so many things that I will learn...and in the end I'm sure I will love them just as much.  I just don't want to miss all of the great things my little ones are going to experience and learn without me.  I want to see how much they have grown and listen to their stories as they tell me about what they are learning and all the little things they soak up.  There is no doubt that this is bittersweet, and in a perfect world I would be able to experience both. But that obviously isn't the case...so I will watch my little one's from a distance as the blossom into First Graders. 

I can't help but  wonder if I will always have this much trouble with my students leaving me or if it will get easier as the years go on?  Knowing me I will always have some emotional attachment to each class that I have....but I must realize that that is why I love it, that is why I chose it.

And at the end of the day, no matter the grade level...I will always know that I have one of the most rewarding jobs in the world.