Keep On Trying

I'm sitting at my desk, watching my students working on their final Inquiry projects of the year. Today is the final Friday of my twenty-fourth year of teaching.

I'm listening to "Keep On Trying" by Poco (thanks 'Bones'). as I tidy things on my desk, I closed my agenda for the final time. It runs out today. Of course it does. There are still three school days left next week, so of course it would do that.

Anyway.

As Poco sings on, I feel the sadness that happens randomly at this time of year sweep over me. I literally, physically closed the book, turned the final page on another year. There is satisfaction, but there is sadness. The agenda is something I work on with my students every year. It is a snapshot of all we have done as a class.

I will save this agenda. I will slip it into that spot I have reserved for the previous year's agenda. I cling to such things. Letting go is hard, even when I know it is necessary.

I am proud of what we tried this year.

We read sixteen novels this year. No novel studies. Reading, talking, reflecting.

We completed numerous Inquiry projects this year, across numerous subject areas. Best moment was when one of my boys came up to me and asked, "Are we going to do these projects next year?" (Sidebar: In the last month of classes, I assign two Inquiry projects. One is a magazine, the other a personal passion project. He was referring to these.) He is already planning what he is going to do with them next year!

My high anxiety student attended all but one off-property events this year, and had better than 80% overall attendance. In previous years, the attendance was around 50%, and off-property events simply did not happen.

The class learned to read and write cursive. In twenty-four years, I have never been required to teach cursive. I made the decision to do so after a parent questioned me about it. It has been fun, and the kids are proud that they mastered it.

More and more of our immigrant students fully participated in Multicultural Day. We should all be proud of where we come from, culturally, and I am proud to encourage them to share that pride.

I am proud of me. I am. Twenty-four years in, and I am still trying.

I will keep on trying.

The day I stop trying for and with my kids is the day I need to find a different calling.