Sooooo... I have 3 parts to this in my head. However, part 2 & 3 may never actually get written down, so...yeah.
I am usually thrilled about the end of school, but I dreaded this year coming to an end. I've loved every class of kids I've ever had - they've all taught me unique lessons, challenged me, & grown me as an educator & human being. It's funny how every class has its own dynamics & personality. With some groups it takes me a while to get to know them, others take a while to trust me, etc.. They're just all different.
Well, this year's group was just plain awesome. Hyper? Yep. Loud? You bet. Boring? Heck no! We literally clicked the first day of school & I loved every moment with them - even if they did try to drive me crazy sometimes. Actually, one of the toughest parts of managing this class was keeping a straight face.
Being a relator, I thrive on meaningful relationships. The down side of that for a teacher? Well, you spend a year pouring your heart out, building trust, forming relationships, and then... you say goodbye. It sucks. It sucks walking my kids out on the last day of school & knowing there are some I will never see again. Knowing that they are heading off to the big bad world of middle school & beyond, & some of them are going to slip & fall. Some of them are going to mess up, fail, get into trouble, have their hearts broken, end up in bad situations. And there's nothing I can do about it. I had my time, I said my peace, I taught all I could, and now I have to let go. I have to do the only thing I can do: have the faith to entrust them to an omniscient God. The God who made them, who knows them, & who loves them more than they could possibly understand. I have to trust my God to put the right people in their lives, provide for their needs, open their eyes to his unconditional love, & pick them up when they fall.
I also have to trust God to heal the hole in my heart & hear my prayers. The memories will fade, but I will never stop caring about my kids & I will never stop praying for them - trusting that God can do more with a simple prayer than anything I could do in a lifetime.
In the end I find myself thankful for the small role I've gotten to play in their lives - for the seeds I've planted, & I find hope in Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 3:
What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.
Punch! There may have been some jokes about the ducks drowning...but I think they all made it.
A diaper 'cake' made by my teammate! Adorable! :)
Baby clothes! I like this one because it has little monsters on it who seem to be destroying a city, or at least cars & stuff. I find that amusing. 
Oh yeah, I almost forgot my 
