the finale

I walked out of my last day of school with letters from my 100+ students and I couldn't have asked for a better going away present. Here some of my favorite quotes:

 

• I hope you will make a lot of new teacher friends.

• I hope you get a job at a fancy school.

• I hope you become a great teacher. Let's just hope you get to become a teacher.

• I now know more than I used to know.

• I also wanted to say you will be a fabo (awesome) teacher.

• You've always been a good friend of mine. [Yeah, we've known each other for a solid 4 months]

• Don't take this the wrong way but I'd be selfish if I was sad that you're leaving because then I wouldn't let any other kids get to know what a great teacher you are.

• The most important thing I have learned from you is how to spell your last name.

• We will miss you because you were here for a long time and we love you.

 

 

So there you have it, sappy and all. I absolutely loved my semester with these kids!

The Dreaded Goodbyes

So, tomorrow is my last day of student teaching. I've been dreading the day I would have to walk out on these kids and they haven't made it any easier. The following are comments I've received from them in the last 2 days:

"Are you going to come back and visit? Like, ever?"

"You don't have to graduate."

"What are we going to do without you? You can't leave us. You can get a job here. We'll ask [the principal] to fire someone and hire you."

"Miss Sjoberg, you're leaving before my birthday!" [her birthday is on Friday]


You'd think since I move states a few times a year that I'd be used to goodbyes, but I always hate them -tomorrow will be no exception.

She doesn't suspect ANYthing

My stress level has been higher in the last couple of weeks than it has been all semester, mainly because my biggest projects for the university side of student teaching have been due. But, my students have been very complimentary and sentimental these last few days. As always, I've found humor in what they say and do.

I've been teaching less and less as I approach my final days. This week I'm only teaching 2 out 6 class periods a day. I also missed a day because of a seminar on campus, so some days I feel a little out of the loop as to what's going on in my classroom.

Yesterday a student comes up to me: "Miss Sjoberg, what do I do with this letter?"
Me: "I don't know. What letter is it?"
Student: "The one we were supposed to write."
Me: "For science?"
Student: "No, not for science. (a light bulb in his head goes off). Noooooo, not for science. And you're not teaching us anymore so nevermind! Just don't worry about it." Student walks over to my cooperating teacher and whispers, in a rather loud whisper voice: "I almost gave it away. I almost gave this to Miss Sjoberg. She asked if it was for science, and then I realized maybe she didn't know. But I was smooth. She doesn't suspect ANYthing." Student walks back to me: "I just forgot you weren't teaching us anymore. Don't worry about the letter. It wasn't for science."

How old ARE you?

I had my final observation today and as I was teaching, my supervisor (a 72 year old professor) asked if she could do an activity with my kids. She told my students she just misses working with 5th graders. One of my students said, "You look like a fun teacher!" She told them that she began teaching a long time ago. "Do you know how old my very first class of students is now? In their 50s." I looked at the sea of faces in front of her, awestruck. One student said, in genuine shock, "How old ARE you??"

Daily Battles

Welcome back from spring break! We were celebrating spring here in Indiana anyway last week. Mother nature gave us a good size snow storm and plenty of 30 degree days.


At any rate, here are just a few of the daily battles I face in 5th grade:

• Do you count "averates" as correct when the answer should be "evaporates?"

• There was a huge gap in the line as we walk back from lunch so I inquired as to why one particular boy was distancing himself so much. He points to Girl A and Girl B: "I'm scared of her. She likes me." Me:"Which one?" Student: "Both of them. I dated that one for a week and the other one..." Followed by an expression of bewilderment.

• What's the difference between mass and weight? Student: "Weight is like what happens to you when you eat McDonald's all the time."

• Homework assignment asks for an example of a solid. Student answer: "Stamche." Which I'm pretty sure is "stomach" and what does one even do with such an answer?