So if you have not talked to me lately I have joined Teach for America this last year and have been teaching 7th grade writing, in central Phoenix. As first years go, this one has been very good and a lot more manageable then what I had been prepared for. My kids are honestly great and really try to do the best they can. I really love them and here lies the problem...
This year I created the 7th Grade Ohana, which became out class motto. Ohana from Lilo and Stitch means "family and family means know one gets left behind or forgotten" We adopted this saying and turned it into our own 7th grade family. Ohana means everything to me and we really treated each other like a family. Sometimes we had our fights and our hard times, but our love and respect for each other made us survive the year together. We grew together. They became better students and they in turn made me a better teacher. I am so proud of them and of what they achieved over the year, but it all has to end in a few short days.
What do I do when the year ends? While don't get me wrong, some kids I will be happy to leave and move on to 8th grade, but some I am honestly going to miss having them in my class everyday. I know I am not very good with change, but this is my profession, I have to let them go on to bigger and better things. I need to let them grow up and trust that they will keep all that I have taught them. Am I really ready to let them move on? I trust the 8th grade teachers and know that they will get the education they need to do well in high school and in turn college, but I also feel that I have failed them a lot. I have more to teach them and I think it is unfair that I just have to stop being their teacher. We have shared so much this year and my student and I really know each other, but I have to pretend that did not happen and just adopt a whole new groups of kids...
Maybe I am thinking about this all the wrong way...
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