Gosh, I haven't written in awhile---it has been months. Why? Maybe I have been at a loss for words? Busy? Maybe because I know twenty-four students are not checking on me regularly? Today deserved a blog entry since it was the last day of another school year, my sixth year in education.

180 days of school---each day is counted by the kindergarten teachers during calendar/carpet time. Each day is slashed on our busy planners to make it through another year. Some colleagues start the first day back to school by chanting, "Only 179 more days." The last day is more than just a day, it is the beginning and ending of life's chapters.

We have all experienced walking down the barren halls in our elementary schools that last day knowing we are growing up to middle school. Some of us attended the same elementary school for ten years (K-8), so departing for high school on the last day became especially difficult. The last day of high school meant walking across the stage to receive a high school diploma and finally becoming an "adult" (but with several things still left to learn). The last day of college equated to entering the real world. Each of those days stay engraved in my mind.

Of course the last days of school are bittersweet for all teachers. I created a last day ritual for my class---circle of reflection. This was a simple activity by asking the students to sit in a circle and share their favorite memory of the school year and what they looked forward to in the future. Of course, the typical answers were field trips, watching a movie, and the usual PE time....but the memories that were expressed the most revolved around the friendships formed in our classroom family. No matter what "kind of year" we experienced, good or bad, we still had that last day to say thank you to one another. "Thanks for making my life different." This time was always solemn and serious without any reminders or prompting how to behave. Following the activity, I would see both smiles and tears in all directions. It was always surprising to me that the toughest, coolest kid would be the one walking to the bus crying because this was the last day. As the teachers would wave our last day good-byes to the buses, I would be one of many teachers crying because it was the last day.

This year I didn't have my circle of reflection, instead I smiled at an entire school of children going home for the summer. Every teacher needed a touch of the shoulder to say a job well done. I would say this was a good last day..

However, my last day was not complete until I glanced at the five class pictures that hang overhead in my office. I thought about those last days of school.

Thanks for making my life different...