SOL: A Slice of Their Life

It’s that time of the year.

Testing.

Kids are wiggly.

The end is near.

They feel it.

They are only with me for a few more weeks.

It gives me this sinking feeling, a profound sense of loss.

My fifth graders go on. Excited to go on, yet they know they are losing something. For many this has been their home away from home. It is their first place of learning. They’ve done a lot of growing up here. They feel the end coming.  I hear it every morning when they walk in, “I don’t want to go” and “I’ll miss this place.”

I tell them, this place will miss you.

We have a full calendar ahead. A field trip that inspires and supports project-based learning. Some writing, some responsibilities, some opportunities to give back to the school they’ve been in for the past six years. The busyness is purposeful and necessary. It keeps us from falling apart.

To help me end the year, I’ve got a project of my own. A little something for each student. A goodbye gift.

Every year, each kid holds a space in my heart.  I want them to know what I see in them, what I hope they see, what I’ll remember, what I hope they’ll remember.

I scribe a few a day.  Here are some. Names removed.

Strong and fiery
Destined to change the world
Find a passion outside yourself
and take off

Opinionated and observant
Funny.
You
Are
A
Writer.

Your silly moments
flow in and out
looking for your voice along with your
pink hat.
There’s wonder in the search.

Perfect curls frame you.
Open up
let the world in
grow into it.

Crafter. Designer.
Your vision grows
as you sketch the image
for the rest of us to see.

Munching a Snickers bar
you flit in.
Humming.
Poet’s heart
always in motion.

Seer of the possible
you
find magic in a piece of
paper.

Bright eyed, bursting
discoveries await
create!

These are my little tributes to capture them in the moment. A slice of their life.

Thank you, Two Writing Teachers for Slice of Life Tuesdays. Read more slices here.