Saying Goodbye...

I have to admit, recently I have gotten teary eyed a few times as I have engaged in "end-of-the-year" activities. Not because the kids are leaving Pre-school and 1st grade and starting to grow up, (even though that warrants a tear or two every once in a while) but because I have to say good bye to teachers that I know have loved my children whole heartedly and dedicated long hours to helping them.

Tyler's teacher was also Brooklyn's teacher at this age. I have loved every minuted of that. She was an joy to have then with Brooklyn, and she was perfect for Tyler. As we hugged and said our goodbyes on the last day of preschool, she choked up and I was fighting back the tears. I felt like I was saying goodbye to a special friend without knowing if I will see her again. She frequently was handing me extra things for Tyler to work on, flash cards she made especially for him... Teachers do not come any better than that and you don't get one like that every year. What a blessing to have had her.


Brooklyn has only had this new teacher for close to 3 months, but I caught a glimpse of her love for the kids and it was equally touching. Her school had a "Poetry Reading." I didn't really know what to expect, I mean I know what a poetry reading is, but I didn't know what one coming from first graders would be. Friends and family were invited, so the kids and I showed up at the appointed time. Man was I glad I went, because EVERYONE was there. It was a big deal. The kids had actually written a book of poems. I'm not talking about simple rhyming things either, this was serious stuff. Like acrostics, cinquains, haikus, and others. (I had to pretend like I knew what these were...) Each child read their 2 favorite poems while they sat in a director's chair that they all had decorated. The room was turned into an artsy coffee house and we snapped after the poems were read. It was cool! I was suprised that all the kids did it without showing any bit of nervousness! What a great way for them to learn to perform/ present their ideas to a group. I loved every second of it! So did Tyler and Lily, especially the snapping!

But, the part that touched me the most was the poem her teacher wrote about the way she felt about teaching first grade. She has had a some very challenging things happen in her personal life this year, so I imagine this had been an extremely hard year for her. Her thoughts were mostly cute reasons why she loved the kids, but one line about how teaching children helps her "feel close to her Maker" rang true to my heart. Really that is what it is all about. So, I feel blessed this year to have both my children have teachers so full of love and willing to share it with our family.

OK, here are my fave of Brooklyn's poems:

Haiku- Chicks
by Brooklyn Jones

Are very friendly
Chicks are very soft and cute
Chicks have an egg tooth

Five Senses Poem
by Brooklyn Jones

Anger is red
It sounds like fire works
It tastes like a hot pepper
It smells like burning cookies (I love that part.)
It looks like fire
It makes me feel sad

(I was worried about that one, but she told me they had different words to pick from and she couldn't think of anything for the other options, so she did anger)

An Acrostic-Frogs
by Brooklyn Jones

Frogs lay frog eggs
Red frogs are poisonous
On froglets, the have a little tail
Green frogs are not poisonous
Some frogs are brown

Wishing Upon a Poem
by Brooklyn Jones

I wish I were
a teacher
in a school
teaching boys and girls
happily.

A Cinquain-Zebras
by Brooklyn Jones

Zebras
Stripy, cute
Eating, drinking, walking
The zebra has black and white stripes
Striped horse.

Ok, those were just a few, but it was really fun and also interesting to see what the kids came up with. Actually very impressive and creative and I loved it.