This has been the strangest way to end a year.
As lots of you will know, last Wednesday I was sent into isolation because one of my girls tested positive. I was absolutely heart broken, and, if I’m being real, my COVID related anxiety went out of the roof. (I’ve suffered pretty badly from COVID related anxiety for the past year or so, but that’s for another time). Having to send home my brilliant bunch of kids and then come home myself was horrible.
We’ve spent our last week having break time meetings where we’d just chat and then live sessions where most of the class got together for all kinds of fun. We did a quiz, a taskmaster thing, some ‘would you rather’ questions and an awards ceremony. Seeing so many of them show up for break time chats made my mornings more bearable – we’d just talk about anything that they wanted. Seeing their faces gave me a sense of normality back. There were some kids who showed up to every single live session I hosted, and for them I’m grateful. It wasn’t the end of the year that I, or anyone else, had planned. It was a shame that I didn’t get to see all of my kids this week, but I don’t think I blame them for checking out as soon as they isolated.
This bunch of kids I’ve had this year have been through a lot. We’ve been through a lot together. They’ve certainly challenged me and pushed me to my limit a few times. There’s been a lot to battle through at times and being their teacher two years in a row has shown me a lot about myself. Being their teacher through a pandemic showed me a lot. It’s not all been doom and gloom, but it’s certainly felt that way at times. We’ve dealt with all kinds of crap and along the way, we’ve done it together. I really will miss them. In my 3 years of teaching, I’ve taught the same 2 bunches of children twice – if you wanna know the logistics of that, let me know.
I’ll miss their laughter and their stupid jokes. I’ll miss their thirst for knowledge and their questions that I just couldn’t answer. I’ll miss them checking if I’m okay. I’ll miss the hugs and the post it notes with lovely messages on. I’ll miss their excitement at documentaries. I’ll miss their curiosity and their joy. I’ll miss watching movies at lunch time. I’ll miss seeing them love eating outside. I’ll miss their manners. I’ll miss their resilience and their sheer determination to succeed. I’ll miss how they embraced a challenge. I’ll miss their honesty. I’ll miss laughing at break time and sharing a story. I’ll miss being allowed to make mistakes and solving them together.
alittlebutalot 