An Awesome Way to End the School Year

I ended my school year by giving my students a really easy final: They had to write a "This I Believe" essay, which focused on something that they believe (who'd thunk?) It was an awesome way to end the year because it helped me see my students in a good light and end the school year with a good taste in my mouth.

Yesterday, I had a few of the students volunteer to read their essay out loud to the class. They were all so good and I was touched by them all, but one stood out.

The student who wrote this essay has a heart of gold, but he also has a hard time staying on task. He's one to be constantly talking with neighbors or trying to go be with his friends. Because I knew there was no malicious intent behind his actions, I never got mad at him, but there were probably some days when it was harder to be patient with him than others. Regardless, I pretty much figured that he just saw me as his English teacher and that I was just another hoop to pass through to get to the next year of school.

And then yesterday his friend read his essay to the class (he didn't want to read it himself), and I started crying in front of the whole class! The good kind of crying! The thing this student said he believed in was making people laugh. He talked about how he doesn't like English, but how "Mrs. Self makes it awesome because she teases us and it is great because it is funny and makes english 100 times better." He then went on to share a story about a time when we had joked around in class and about how that story showed why it's important to be funny.

Fast forward to today, and this kid brought me a little gift with a card to say thank you for the year. Then, when I announced that I wanted students to sign my yearbook, he was the first in line and took-up half a page to write about how I was his favorite teacher and about how much he appreciated me talking to him when he was having a bad day at times and things like that.

I was wrong. I hadn't been just another hoop for this kid to pass through, I was his favorite teacher!

Middle Schoolers: just when you think you've got them figured out, they surprise you. Man--it was an awesome way to end the school year.