Endings & Beginnings

Last night we had our farewell dinner at Terra Nova Park. Twenty years later and this event remains to be very difficult. Emotionally I mean. And how can it not be? For ten months I have seen these children for 12 hours per week- not much on the grand scale but it does translate to lots of time to develop our relationships. And, although families promise to come back and visit, we all know and understand it will never be the same.

Yesterday morning, very early, I went for a walk to try to gather my thoughts on the year past. As I walked along the paths, I had flashes of moments that the class shared. The moments are plentiful; rich in sound, colour, and emotion. These moments will live with me for a long time. They will not all be weighted equally, some will fade, some will remain more prominent. Some will be dormant for a time and then suddenly burst into the forefront. Memories are odd like that. But the creation of these memories is really and truly what I feel so privileged to be a part of.

To become part of the lives of these intelligent, engaging, curious, clever, funny and creative young children is a gift. To listen to their stories, to watch them experiment, to hold them when they are sad, to laugh with them when something is funny, to offer them new experiences, to present new ways of looking at things, to listen to them work through conflict, to observe their play, to receive and give hugs, to ask them questions, to offer them answers, to open doors for each other, to help them connect to other people, to help them be patient, to allow them to teach me; these are but a few of the reasons why teaching is the very best job; for me at least.

I am forever grateful to our parents for inviting me into their lives- the life of both their preschooler and their family- this can never be disconnected and schools that do not realize and cherish this truth need to rethink education.

So, yes, ending are hard. And although a cliche, endings also mean new beginnings. For my students, they will begin a new part of their lives as they head into elementary school. New relationships will be formed, new questions will arise and new ways of thinking will develop. For me, new relationships will be formed, new questions will arise and new ways of thinking will develop. Yes, these are exactly the same. And, therein lies the beauty.

It has truly been a wonderful year. I am blessed.

Until September...

Emily

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