Summertime: Let the Fun Begin

Today is the unofficial mark of summer. For me it began in Friday, when the school year ended. And even though I love teaching Kinders, I love my own babies even more. This weekend was spent doing exactly that: loving on my babies, and, oh, how I loved on them.

We had dinner from a pouch.


We spent time playing in the sprinklers. Baby J actually warmed up to it a little bit this time.
  
(as opposed to last time)

We ate Popsicles.
 

We spent time on the playground with our sweet cousin, M.
 
Daddy was a good man and gave into every playtime desire.

We finished off our weekend with Baby J's first swim, and there was a lot of love in that first swim. So much that he was very hard to hold onto. This little fish became so excited at the prospect of being a big boy that he kept trying to wriggle out of our arms and splash like his sister. This resulted in a large intake of water; however, like the resilient little boy he is, he just kept "swimming".









Happy Summer!

Kindergarten

Kindergarten...

I am at the end of another year. I am closing another chapter in my life, and though I am excitedly filled with anticipation for an amazing summer of swimming, play dates, and cuddles with my own children, I am also slightly sad.

I cried when giving my Kinders our final good-bye. I cried bittersweet tears. Tears of happiness for all the high hopes and great expectations I have in them. Tears of sadness that I will only (at best) witness it from a distant sideline.

Calling this group of students special would be an understatement. They were the kind of group that is a rarity. The kind you dream of teaching when you're in college. As a whole, the dynamic was remarkable.

Every year I go into to teaching with the same main goals in mind: develop a strong foundation in reading, learn to write complete sentences, and cultivate kindness. All my groups over the years have learned to read, learned to write, but only some children have learned how to be kind.

Not this year though. This year I was given the amazing opportunity to witness as kindness grew and flourished within the walls of my room. Everyday I watched as children expressed their feelings, resolved conflicts, and forgave misunderstandings. This year goes down as my all time favorite year of teaching. I feel so blessed and fortunate to have been a part of something so much bigger than myself.

I will never forget the moments I witnessed, the spirits I encouraged, and the difference that was made. It is why I went into teaching, and I am so grateful that God has given me this year with these little souls.It was exactly the reminder I needed.