Starting a New Year #sol18

The first day of school was yesterday:) We had a great start to the year and I’m excited about all of the opportunities and possibilities that stretch out ahead of us.  I love watching the kindergarten students enter the school for the first time.  I love reconnecting with  the kids and welcoming the new students.  I love how fresh everything is-from school supplies to hopes and expectations for the new year.

The one disappointing part of the new year was the absence of one student.  I’d worked with K in second, third, and fourth grades and working with her was such a delight.  K is one of the hardest working students that I’ve ever had the privilege of having in my classroom, so the news that she had moved saddened me.  That feeling was amplified today when one of K’s classmates, M, told me, “She really liked your class. I bet she misses being here.” We had been chatting about choosing books and I commented on how this group of kids did such a great job of recommending books to each other.  M chimed in, saying that they all knew how K loved any book with horses, which led to the above conversation.

One of the joys of my job is being able to work with students for multiple years.  However, that makes it harder to say goodbye.  I hope that K’s new teachers and classmates embrace her and recognize all of the qualities that made her such a valued member of our school family.