Memoirs from a 2nd Grade Class

Katharine approaches me during morning reading time: "Is tomorrow really your last day?"  I sigh and then nod yes- "but don't remind me I'm starting to get really sad."  Throughout the rest of the day I receive approximately 10 notes from various students that all say, "I will miss you so so so much."  Jeremiah even draws a giant heart on the board dedicated to me.

Later, after being begged to eat lunch with them, I squeeze between their little bodies at the table and listen to them chatter.  "Mrs. Lontine this" and "Mrs. Lontine that,"  listening to them all tell me their stories at one time is quite the task.  Their bright minds never cease to amaze me though.  I never regret eating with the children and although practicum has been filled with some terribly hard days, I would not trade them for the world.

I love all 18 of those students ((even on days when they make me rethink my desire to teach)).  They know how to just love unconditionally, something our world needs.

I copied this from Emilee's blog, because she summed up our experience better than I can:

the 15 life lessons i learned from the best class of 2nd graders

1. the things you worry about don't really matter in the long run. while second graders worry about how "john gets to carry the big red ball out to recess," which doesn't matter to us, the things we worry about don't matter to them. let's keep perspective
2. spelling is everything. "there was a lion and the monkey was a little chef" can turn into "there was a loin and the monkey was a little shif"* which looks a little different on paper. 
3. a hug can do LOADS. my daily morning hug from little rian is sometimes all i needed to keep going. (i also always got my daily 8:20 hug, my daily 8:45 hug, my daily 9:05 hug, etc. from her. i will miss those squeezing hugs against my leg) 
4. get excited about things! whether it's your turn to jump rope at recess or you have an awesome new number pattern to share in math, life is so much better when you're excited about it. this relates to everything, not just things pertinent to 2nd graders
5. pizza day is always the best. always. even when you're 21 and hear it's going to be pizza day at the school cafeteria, you will most likely end up standing in line with a bunch of 3-and-a-half-foot children, just as eager for your pizza & trumoo chocolate milk as those midgets are
6. there is no feeling like the feeling you get when you finally accomplish something. when the lightbulbs go off in those 7- and 8-year-olds' heads after being explaining a concept to them, the feeling is directly translated upon you as the teacher. and that feeling is probably enough to keep you alive an extra 17 days without any food or water
7. everyone can be friends with everyone. i watch with pride and happiness as my second graders all work well together and run around with each other on the playground
8. holidays are to be celebrated. those who do not do so are doomed to be miserable. they are a perfectly good excuse to celebrate life and to eat tastier food. 
9. be nice. not just outwardly, but genuinely, interestedly, sincerely nice. such a lost concept in the world today. there is nothing more sincere than a 2nd grader sharing their blue crayon with a another who doesn't have any crayons, in the middle of their "maps" lesson when they should be coloring in the atlantic and pacific oceans 
10. picture books are enjoyable. i have a new saying, "a picture book a day keeps the doctor away." lucky for me, i got my fill of over ten picture books every day for the last month. the jokes are funny, the pictures are silly, and the stories are cute. i usually giggle more than the children do during read-aloud
11. things in life are apparently easier than you think. as i was sitting and eating lunch with a group of gigging girls, they asked me if i had a boyfriend. when i said no, one of them said "well you have friends that are boys, right??" to which i replied "of course!" and then the best words of wisdom i have heard: "well then just kiss one of them! then you'll have a boyfriend." 
12. getting angry doesn't solve anything (the words of mika in "grace kelly," but learned time and time again in a certain second grade classroom). seriously, getting frustrated/mad/sad/angry only makes things worse. you can think more clearly when you stay calm, and things usually work out for the better. and the exact opposite is true: when you're happy, everything is better. i get so frustrated over a few of the students who don't understand this and still get easily upset, even after all the love we give them. but then teaching wouldn't be as rewarding, right?
13. if you are nice to others, others will be nice to you. applies to every stage of life. in the elementary stage, it's a lot more simple (for example, when christian calls people names, no one wants to play with him at recess). but always: treat others how you would like to be treated.
14.  it is possible to play basketball in a [tight] pencil skirt. it is also possible for little humans that barely come to your waist to [almost] cream a 2-person team of mrs. lontine and myself
15. all everyone ever needs is just some love. it's quite simple; everyone wants it and needs it. as teachers, we need it from our students, but even more so, the students need it from us. so, so much. especially at the school we have had the privilege of teaching at, a lot of the kids don't get the necessary amounts of love at home. and you can tell when they crave it and need it. so just always, always, love others. everyone needs it and deserves it. 

*i've seen this exact sentence written before. it is not in any means made up

{http://justemilee.blogspot.com/2013/11/everything-i-needed-to-learn-in-life-i.html}

Emilee and I just love our 2nd graders.  I think that we were meant to be placed in this specific class.  This Thanksgiving I am so grateful for:

•  Emilee.  She taught me a lot during this practicum, came up with the best lesson ideas, and never stopped cheering me on.
• Our practicum teacher who was so willing to let Emilee and I try anything (even if it blew up in our faces-- no more Thanksgiving plays for us)  and for being so patient.
• Having so many shoe options... and none with holes in them.
• Being able to eat breakfast and lunch and dinner everyday.  ((Most of the students only ate breakfast and lunch and that was because the school provided it.))
• My various Disneyland/Disney World trips...that for some students is their life dream
• A happy, loving home that I enjoy spending time in
• Nine boys and Nine girls who have made my life so gratifying 

<33 Amanda