Today was my final day with
my third grade munchkins at Lotts. I have so many mixed emotions to be
leaving such a wonderful place. (Even though I have TONS of packing
still to do.) While I'm excited to be starting a new third grade
adventure at my new school, it's hard to think about the place that raised me
from a newbie teacher into a seven year veteran without "Lotts" of
tears and sorrow. I got so many heartfelt cards and hugs today that it
was all I could do not to break down into sobs. As much as those kids
could drive me crazy, I really will miss their faces.
One of my most favoritest authors of all time, Sandra Boynton, wrote Yay, You! Moving Out, Moving Up, Moving On, and it's a wonderful book to read on the last day of school. It's the same type of book as Oh, The Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss, but I like it better for a few reasons. One, it's not as long. Two, it has great suggestions and questions throughout about what kind of person you'll be now that you're done (in our case, with third grade). It's a great conversation starter about what the kids will be doing over the summer and how they'll keep up with reading and math practice over the summer. I've even used it as a writing prompt to have the students write about how they'll spend their summer.
To quote the end of the book (the page that ALWAYS makes me cry):
Whatever you do,
whether near or so far,
I know you'll be great.
You already are.
What are some of your traditions for the last day of school? Do you read a special book? Watch a certain movie? I'd love to know, so please share!
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Oooo! I need to check this book out. I'm a little obsessed with books and I'm shocked I've never heard of it. Thanks for the suggestion! I currently have "Last Day Blues" for the end of the year, because we read "First Day Jitters" on the first day.
ReplyDeleteKatie
Dirty Hands and Lesson Plans
I love First Day Jitters and Last Day Blues, and I read those, too, but Yay, You! is still my favorite. I enjoy all of Sandra Boynton's books (even the ones for tiny kids) because of the humor and many of them have CDs with accompanying songs. It's great to show your students the books and challenge them to write a poem/story that can also be a song. I'm not musically inclined at all, so any time I can include it in my classroom without having to sing, I'm all for it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post!