The End

The school year has come to an end. I don't think I have ever been as calm on the last day of school as I was on this one. It just felt good and right and finished. I know that I have given my best to these kids. This year was a definite improvement over last year. The second time around is always better than the first of anything. And that is surely true of teaching middle school. I feel good about my teaching of writing. I improved on my units from last year and have some goals for next year. My love of teaching reading has been rekindled and I know exactly what I want to do to make next year better. That is the beauty of teaching. It is a one year commitment and at the end we can reflect and figure out how to improve it next time. This is new for me. I have jumped schools and grade levels for my entire career. It feels good to be grounded and to know that this is what everything else was preparing me to do. And now it is time to breathe in relaxation so that when August 11th rolls around, my mind and spirit will both be ready to do it all over again.