Endings are the saddest part...

These last few days have been a whirlwind of emotions and things to do. My school year is over and with that came the ending of so many things.  Saying goodbye to your friends and a place you called your second home after six years is a difficult thing to do...but this year has been different.  I don't think I ever fully felt like I was back at school after I returned from my maternity leave.  Of course I put in 100% effort ever day, but my heart and mind were with my new daughter and learning how to be a mother. Those were the things that were most important to me this year...not test scores or learning one more new way to analyze a reading assessment. Maybe that has made it a little bit easier to say goodbye...

 We ended our school year with some fun activities- a walk to the neighborhood park.  I'm sure we were a sight to see.  All 100+ Kindergarten students holding hands, two by two, walking down a very busy street.  But we made it safely and enjoyed the hot sun beating down on us.  As we walked back we passed the Burger King across from our school. I heard a chorus of little voices begging me to stop.  "Are we going to Burger King now?"  "Mrs. Wolfe? Can we please stop and get a hamburger!?"  Haha :)

We began our last day of school with a lockdown, something that has unfortunately become very normal at my school.  I guess it was one last hurrah before sending us off into summer. My small friends came to school dressed in their Sunday best for their very much anticipated Kindergarten Graduation. We had been practicing and practicing for a couple of weeks so our songs would be perfect for our moms and dads...and they were. We always end with the song I'm Gonna Miss You and my classroom suddenly became filled with parents crying, wishing their little Kindergarteners would stay five for just a while longer. 

My students were high on sugar and the feeling that summer is coming so we spent our last day of school calmly cleaning up the classroom and saying goodbye. I didn't tell them that I was moving away...I wanted to, but I couldn't find the words.  Every year I give my cloud talk during the last few minutes of school. I told my students that I was proud of them and that they are going to do great things in first grade.  We sang our goodbye song and when we got to the part that says we are thankful for our teachers I was swarmed by my class.  We held each other in a great big hug and I smiled at each of them trying not to let the tears escape my eyes...they are going to do great things, I can feel it. 

The staff gathered outside as the buses drove off-it's tradition to wave goodbye to our students on the last day of school. Little arms poked out of the windows waving wildly at their teachers. And soon they were gone and it was quiet. 

* * *

I spent the next few days packing up my classroom which was quite the job.  I never thought I have accumulated very much stuff, but teachers are notorious for keeping everything...you never know if you'll need that half eaten pencil! But it's finished.  My classroom is now empty, waiting for the next group of students to make their mark. 

  I was one of the last to leave on the teacher workday.  I couldn't make myself walk out the door for the last time.  I just stood in the middle of my room. 

I finally walked over to my piano.  I placed my hands on the keys for the last time and played my clean up song, which is a pretty tune from the 1950's about why the birds are singing.  I thought about how many times I've played that song...

I closed the piano, picked up my last packed box, and quietly said goodbye. 

Spring Break, I love you!

Today is my first official day of Spring Break! I've felt so tired all day long...my body can finally relax. This past week was exhausting to say the least.  

And then there was yesterday afternoon.  There we were sitting in the gym for a Chocolate Sales assembly thirty minutes before Spring Break officially started. Hmmm? What do you get when you add wild children and exciting prizes and chocolate? I'll let you ponder that for a moment.  The chocolate lady began her presentation and looked a little frazzled as she tried to quiet down over 200 primary students. "Children? Children? No talking! On your bottoms!"  I gave my 'teacher look' too many times to count to my own students, but their chocolatey glazed over eyes could not see me anymore. They had officially forgotten our Big talk about manners during an assembly and couldn't stop pointing at the neon flashing toys before them. 

Then the excitement really began. The Chocolate Lady began to show our little ones the cool prizes that they could have if you just sell $100 worth of chocolate! Our Kindergarteners don't seem to understand that you actually have to sell something to earn a prize. I think they thought we would go back to our classroom and I would hand each of them the dazzling iPad that had just been shown to them.  What a disappointing feeling when they realized all I had for them was their order form...not even made from chocolate but plain 'ol paper.  

We headed back to our classroom with minutes to spare before the bell rang to signal a week of quiet and tranquility for all teachers.  When the last student had been picked up I stepped quietly into my classroom and took a deep breath. 

I made it. 

Happy Love Day

Yesterday we celebrated Valentine's Day elementary school style. Little paper Valentine's for our friends, boxes of chocolate, stuffed animals.  We read Valentine books and watched a Valentine movie. I told my little friends that Valentine's Day was all about loving our classmates. 

"EWWWWWW!" they all shouted.

If you are a teacher then you understand the wild energy that comes with celebrating a holiday at school. It is so exhausting. My principal walked into my room today and said she could still smell the sugar left over from our celebration yesterday haha.

It wasn't much of a celebration in the Wolfe household last night.  My husband has a terrible cold--he seems to be sick every Valentine's day.  But I got in some smooches with my baby girl and nephew. 

 

Hope you all had a wonderful day celebrating the ones you love the most! As for me, I think I'm going to sleep all weekend to recover from 27 sugar filled five year olds :)

We Had An Election and the Cat Won

Today I taught my kinder friends all about an election and voting.  We voted on a very very important issue...which book to read after lunch. 

These are two of my classes favorite characters, Pete the Cat and Skippy Jon Jones, and they were really excited to see which one would win! We wrote our votes down, P for Pete and S for Skippy. 

 

I told my students this was a secret ballot so no telling your friend who you are voting for.  Of course then you have the few students shouting out, "What letter do we write if we want Pete the Cat to win?"  Pretty sure everyone just heard you :)

We folded our papers and dropped them in the jar to be tallied.

We could hardly contain our excitement as we counted each tally mark! Which cat is going to win??

Yay! Skippy won by two votes!

One of my students looked at Pete the Cat and told him it was okay he didn't win and patted him on the head. Maybe we should have had a little dose of five year old in this year's presidential election :) 

Survival

I have officially survived my first two weeks back to work and though I feel completely and totally overwhelmed by it all, the days tick away fast and soon it is 4:15 and I literally pep step out of those school doors.  It's so different from the past five years where I would be one of the first ones to arrive at school and stay until I was one of the last to leave. I have never been so productive during my eight hours at school...my mom would be so proud of me for using my time wisely :)  

This is how it will be from now on and I'm okay with that. I'll give everything I have to teach my little kindergarteners during the school day, but the moment I'm home it's my time with my family and nothing else matters. 

The Saturday before I returned to work was emotionally draining.  I was bursting into tears over and over again...uncontrollably crying. I took a long hot shower and cried and cried, letting out everything I was feeling, crying until I had no tears left.  I let the hot water run out, climbed into bed, and fell asleep instantly. I truly don't think I have ever felt so sad in my life. I thought Sunday would be more of the same, but I felt a sort of calm wash over me and I was able to enjoy my last day with Everdeen before heading off to work in the early morning.

 {first day back to work}

My school days are filled to the brim with things to do and things to catch up on. I'm learning all about who my students are...it's like the first week of Kindergarten all over again. I think about Everdeen during the quiet and calm moments when the kids are at lunch. I scroll through my e-mail and open the messages from my mom that are filled with pictures of what Everdeen is up to that day with her cousin and I smile. I know she is safe and sound during the week...and although I feel a little twinge of jealousy that it's not me getting to spend the day with her, I'm glad she's in such good hands. 

 {On our way to Nana's in the snow storm}

These past two weeks have been such a growing experience for me. I really thought I wouldn't be able to make it through, but I have. I've survived. I don't know if it will ever get easier, but I do know we will settle into a new routine and I will live for those moments when we snuggle on the couch until dinner time, breathing in sync again, being right where we are supposed to be...together.

Smells Like School

My sisters and I walked to elementary school everyday.  We would meet our friends at the stop sign on the corner and walk the familiar path to school; capturing rolly polly bugs to keep in our desks or seeing how long we could kick the same rock to and from school. 

When school began in the late summer, the mornings would all of a sudden become crisp and cool.  It was like a switch was turned on and "school weather" started. The air smelled different. It smelled like corduroy pants, new trapper keepers, and new pencils. It simply smelled like school. 

This morning I woke up for our 4am feeding and felt a chill in the air. I stuck my nose to the window screen and breathed in deeply...it smelled like school.  When did the switch happen? While I fed Everdeen I felt a little sad that this wasn't my first day of school eve. All of my Kinder teammates would be getting up soon, choosing their first day of school outfits, and setting off to begin a new school year. A clean slate...a new year with new adventures, new possibilities, new opportunities. 

{First day of Kindergarten 2009}

This year I have a long term sub starting my class for me. I can't be there to greet my new little friends.  I can't help them through the lunch line for the first time or make sure their tears stop when they realize mom and dad aren't staying.  

I am of course beyond thrilled to be staying home with our little girl for as long as I can. When I complain that I had to get up every two hours in the wee morning hours my sister reminds me that, "At least you don't have to go to work in the morning!" It's true. I am thankful.  

And soon enough I will have my first day of school...just a little later than normal.  So for now, I will continue to snuggle with my baby and breathe in her baby smell and think only occasionally of the class that is waiting for me. 

And to my teammates...Happy First Day of Kindergarten! It's going to be a great year :) 

matching the sky

Today was the last day of school before a much much needed Spring Break.  It was a beautiful spring day to send us off into a week of relaxation.

I am exhausted. I'm more than exhausted. Growing a little human is hard work and all I can say is that teaching kindergarten and being 6 months pregnant isn't for wimps. 

This week I am looking forward to being able to spend some quality time with Martin.  We're going to take a little time for ourselves in one of our favorite cities and I can't wait. Maybe Martin will finally be able to really feel his little girl kick this week.  Her movements are getting much stronger and each time I feel her I am truly amazed that that is our daughter inside of me. 

Colorado is really treating us well with its amazingly warm spring days. I hope that wherever you are, you're able to spend some time outside this weekend...sunshine does wonders for the spirit.

Happy Weekend Friends!  

I Can No Longer Tie Your Shoe

I can officially no longer bend over without cutting off my breathing supply.  I can't touch my toes during Yoga time and I can no longer casually bend over to tie the hundreds of shoes I tie daily.  If a student wants their shoe tied they have to lift their foot to my thigh...this requires them to be very flexible and sometimes results in them toppling over backwards.  Then we have giggling fits and all the kids suddenly want me to tie their shoe the way I tied Saul's...apparently falling over backwards on your rear end is all the rage in Kindergarten.

The past week during alphabet aerobics I have found myself seriously out of breath...especially when we do the alphabet like cheerleaders. I feel pitiful. My husband keeps reminding me that in less than twenty weeks I'm going to be going through the biggest workout of my life...

The kids have been very sweet during my pregnancy. They even hurry a little faster to get to lunch because, "Mrs. Wolfe's baby is hungry!!"  When I told them I was having a baby they cheered and clapped wildly. Then one little boy proceeded to tell me that they were going to have to chop off my belly button to get the baby out... 

It's been fun sharing this experience with 27 five year olds, experiencing it through their eyes. As long as no one asks me where the baby actually came from it will be smooth sailing :)  

Every Leaf Speaks Bliss To Me...

There's a quiet street that I drive down on my way home from school. It's lined with the most vibrant fall colors you could ever imagine being in the middle of a big city.  

Today was a perfect fall day. Just the right amount of warm, not a cloud in the sky...and a kindergarten field trip. We survived. We're exahusted. The kids had the most exciting time. We ventured to our local library and the local museum. I think the best part was the bus ride and having lunch in the huge grassy field next to the grand court house. 

I sat in the sun as the kids around me ate their ham and cheese sandwiches. I listened to their little conversations they had...so excited that their teacher was eating lunch with them, except when I told them they had to eat their sandwich first before their dessert. I heard myself saying the same things my parents had said to me, "Three more bites...no, three more BIG bites."

 I watched from a distance as a couple, hand in hand, walked up the courthouse stairs. She had on a white dress. He was in a suite. I smiled.  They were getting married on such a perfect fall day.

Tomorrow is our last day of school before we begin our Fall Break. I can't wait to have some time to myself and to catch up on life. 

ready or not here they come...

This evening was Back to School Night. We put on a little presentation for some of our families and I got to see some of my students from last year who transformed into first graders over the summer.  They walked the halls with their heads high and a new found confidence, after all they are now a year older and wiser and this is their school.

I met a few of my students...there were already some nervous tears and the token child who runs ramped around the room. I've been thinking about my new group of students and all they have to learn; how to sit criss cross applesauce, how to hold a pencil, how to stand in line, how to raise their hand to speak...I could go on all night.

My room is ready for new adventures, new learning and exploring, and new friends. A new year to start fresh, a year filled with endless possibilities.  

Here's to a brand new sparkling school year and here's to the new class of 2024!

earth

Today in honor of how awesome our world is, my Kinder friends and I watched some of Life: Plants.  I've talked before about how I've shown clips of Planet Earth to my students.  Every time I watch my 23 curious little students view such amazing footage it chokes me up.  Their mouths are hanging open with each new thing they see. You can barely hear the narration because of the "WOA!!! Mrs. Wolfe! Did you see that?!?!?" 

"WHAT IS THHAAAT?!"

I love it. I love seeing something through the eyes of a five year old.  You start to think to yourself, "Woa! That is COOL!"

These little ones are amazed at what they are seeing for the first time. We learned that plants are alive! They especially loved watching the venus fly trap. 

A student turned to his classmates and said in a matter of fact voice, "That plant will eat you too."

"Waaaaitt a minute boys and girls! You will not be eaten by plants."

I love being the first one to teach my students something...it feels like such an honor.

The sun is shining, it's Friday, and I get to see Martin in 3 days!

a new rule made special for mrs. wolfe

I added this rule today. 

Because if you follow this rule I will love you.

The end of the school year is, I believe, the most difficult time of year for a teacher.  Sure, sure the time before Winter Break is a doozy, but the end of the year is a whole new ball park.  I was totaling the number of tests I have to give before school ends. 

299

oh, you couldn't read that

299

yes siree

Just wondering how I'm supposed to still teach and keep growing young minds and preparing my students to be big first graders...anyone? Yeah because it's impossible.

And it's the time of year when we start to see a lot of behaviors...spring fever is a serious disease. 

But it's okay because there are only 23 days of school!

I can not wait for summer...beautiful, warm, sunshiny summer :)

Say CHEESEBURGER!!!

h m m m m...if this was the best one, then I'd like to see the ones that didn't make the cut. 

I didn't have my individual picture taken this time around to avoid the inevitable awkwardness.

Photo Lady: Okay come sit on this crate made for elementary students with your elbow on your knee and your fist under your chin

Me: Seriously? 

Photo Lady: Okaaaay, lean forward...No! Too much! Tilt your head to the left, now bring your chin forward.  Bring your knee up and twist your body slightly to the right. Okaaaay on the count of three I'm going to shoot a really huge flash bulb in your eye and I want you to look as natural as possible. ONE! TWO! *flash*

Me: I think you took it before you said three.

Photo Lady: NEEXXT!

Last year I forgot it was picture day and came to school with a high pony tail that made me look like I was 10 and my school pride t-shirt...  

My mom tells me that I'm lucky to have one of the only professions that will document my career yearly.  And it's true.  It will be fun one day when I retire to look back over all my classes I've had...the students that really impacted me, the classes I feel I was able to really inspire and most importantly how my hair styles have changed.

Chirp Chirp

This morning as I was inevitably running late, I stopped to kiss my little children goodbye and heard a chorus of chirping.  

What a magical sound...little birds singing in the morning sunshine. 

Morning is my favorite time of day. It's calm and serene.

I love to get to school before anyone else...enjoy the peace and quiet that is short lived in a school. 

It was a beautiful day. 

The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, too bad I was inside all day.  Why can't I have recess duty when it's nice outside?

{Even 'G' Giraffe loved having the sun in her face today}

My students were sure chirpy today.  They were arguing and fighting and grabbing.  Let's just say it was a sadie face kind of day. I had finally had enough and called them to the carpet.  

"Boys and girls, did you know it takes more effort to be upset then to be happy?  I want everyone to turn to their next door neighbor and give them your biggest smile you possibly can muster!"

{smiles and giggling}

"See?  Doesn't that feel much better? Tell your neighbor they have a BEAUTIFUL smile!"

It was cute.  It lasted about 10 minutes :)

But at least it was 10 minutes of happiness and bliss...

The sun was still shining when I left school today, I know that will all change soon when we jump forward the clocks.  But for today, I lifted my face to the sun and felt warm for the first time in months. 

100th Day!

Today was the 100th Day of Kindergarten!

One little boy has thought that when this day came we would no longer have school.

Not quite

Then today somebody said, "On Monday we'll go to first grade!"

Five year olds have difficulty with the concept of time :) To them 100 is a gargantuan number and probably has felt like years.

Here are a few pictures from our very exciting day! 

We counted out 100 Fruit Loops...and tried very hard not to eat them, especially off the floor.

We made crowns!

We wrote about what we will do when we are 100 years old. A little boy turned to me and said, "Mrs. Wolfe aren't you already 100?"

This was my favorite...  

Haha, at least he's honest.

We had a great day singing and counting to 100.  I like how something that seems so insignificant to us can get kids so excited! I bet the last time you counted to 100 you didn't jump up and down and cheer :)

Things you get to do if you're a Kindergarten teacher

Make reindeer faces using an AB pattern

Watch Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (this is much creepier than I remember it being...)

Read favorite holiday stories

Give boxes of crayons as Christmas gifts...I love the smell of new crayons (admit it, you probably love smelling crayons too)

My students were so excited! So many of our students don't have supplies at home so this was the perfect gift. 

Report Cards are done,
test scores turned in,
planning complete.


Now I'm just counting down the days until Kate and Bobby get here!