Last day of school!

Last week brought us through the end of this school year! We were so excited to be done. A break from the routine/schedule/homework/craziness was desperately needed. We are always ready to go back in the fall, but the “lazy daze” of summer are bliss.

I love pictures of the girls with their teachers on the last day so much more than the pictures on the first day. On the first day there’s no relationship. The child is nervous; the teacher doesn’t know the moms or the class or who will get along with whom and who will make her pull her hair out. The pictures look…stiff…cautious…apprehensive. Which is good – I still want to have those pictures because they document the feelings of that particular day. But last day of school pictures? The love and comfortable-ness between teacher and student is evident. Priceless. Special.

This teacher we have adored since day one. Becca came home telling Bible stories as though she had walked in the steps of the Israelites. And that’s because her teacher did just that and LOVES the stories of the Bible like no one else.

This teacher we weren’t sure about – we didn’t really know what she would be like. Becca loved her. Thought she was so funny. And she reserved special books just for Becca, which we ALL appreciated.

These teachers. Oh, these teachers! They are the reason we survived 5th grade. Their keen observations and sensitivities to all the things that happen to a 5th grader made me so grateful for them every day. They push without pressure. They influence gently. They teach from the heart. And while I’m thankful it will be 3 more full years before I have another 5th grader (because 5th grade is A LOT of work), we will miss them.

And of course there are no pictures of Sarah with her teachers, because of course she is too old for that sort of thing. I did however, mention to her that I used to babysit one of her teachers and she found that quite humorous & embarrassing. She was glad to know that he was about 6 at the time so I never changed his diapers.

 

And we can’t forget Elise’s last day of preschool. Such a momentous occasion! This is her with her teacher, looking at the memory book we made together. I just still can’t get over the fact that I have all school kids. We are officially in a new phase.

One of the things I DON’T like about the last day of school is all the junk that comes home. Now if you talk to my mother, she will say that the bags I brought home from school on the last day were BY FAR worse than any others because I brought home empty straw wrappers. Yes. I did. I do not know why. I was 7. Apparently the garbage can was too far away from my desk. But now there are rumors at school that the teachers let the kids go through their piles of stuff and take home whatever they want so that the teachers don’t have to throw it away. And I believe that must be true. Much of what those girls brought home should have just been thrown away.

BUT, in elementary school all the kids bring home this huge art folder filled with select creations from the entire year! It’s great fun to pull out piece after piece of artwork and admire it. But then what? We can’t possibly save all that stuff. Usually I save a few favorites and the rest get recycled in one way or another. But this year I saw an idea on someone’s blog and I decided to copy her. I am not ashamed to scrap-lift, craft-lift, or photo-lift.

It was apparently too bright out, so she had to get sunglasses on, but these are the creations from the art folder. And now I have one fun picture to keep and lots has been recycled!