LAST DAYS!
Wow! I can't believe it's the end of the year already. I didn't do a good job of blogging post-spring break and am not sure how much I'll be able to keep up with it as I travel during the summer. This year was pretty busy for me at work and at some times overwhelming. I'm thankful for summer vacation and look forward from a break from work this year.

Since I'm teaching 5th grade this year for the first time I had the opportunity to experience my students advance to middle school. When I taught 2nd grade there were students that did not return to the school the following year, but for the most part I was able to see and interact with them for several years in elementary school.

On Tuesday we held a "promotion" ceremony and I was surprised to find myself getting teary-eyed when I realized that some of them were going to middle schools further away and I might not see them again. It was a strange and somewhat sad feeling yet there were some positive, warm, fuzzy memories. I see some of my students know and am amazed at how much they've grown in language development, math skills, writing skills and just in maturity.

On Thursday, which was a half day and our final day, I met up with my students that came to school and treated them to homemade brownies. For 2 of them that are newcomers to the school and 1 a newcomer to the country, it was their first time eating a brownie. It's quite interesting to watch someone eat a brownie for the first time!