The time has finally come. The last day of school. My emotions are all over the place, as this blog post will be. I'm excited about summer. I have great and fun things to look forward to. I'm going to Florida for vacation in a couple of weeks with my family. I get to see my best friend marry a super guy. I found out that my kindergarten assistant gets to go with me to the new school next year. Good things are ahead.
BUT...
I'm sad.
I haven't done any of my typical end of the school year things. No class movie this year. No tear-jerker letter to parents. No talk to my students about them going to 1st grade and how I'll still see them all the time because I'll be right down the hallway...because I won't be down the hallway next year. I can't handle it. I've avoided it. All of it. I didn't want to make any of it real. But the time has come. It's here and it's loud and up in my face.
Every teacher (well, I'm assuming) looks forward to the last day of school. I'm one of them. Yes. My hand is up high. I love the last day because that means glorious summer. This year though, it's different. I kind of wish I had a little more time. I'm not quite ready to let go completely.
Of course I'll miss my students. This has been a great class. They have been so much fun. Because I am leaving to go to a different school, I may not ever see some of these little guys again. Sure, I'll be in the same town, teaching within the same county, but it's just different when you can't see your past students in the hallway and watch them grow up. Kind of makes me sad. I have a set of twins and a little girl that wants to be a "horse rider" when she grows up that I am going to be awfully sad to leave behind.
And then there's the main, biggest, hugest reason why I'm an absolute mess. I've already cried like 5 times writing this post up until this point. It hasn't been quiet, little weeps either. It's full blown ugly cry going on over here. I'm going to miss my kindergarten teammates, Ashley and Kelly. I'm going to miss them so much. I love these girls. It's so nice to go to work and to have friends there--real friends. Two of the very best friends that I have in my life. They are so much more than just co-workers that I see Monday-Friday. They make the whole day-to-day work experience even more fun.
I've tried to write letters to both of them tonight but had to stop. I couldn't handle it. Maybe I can try again tomorrow night. Tomorrow is the last day for students, but we all have a work day together on Friday. I'm afraid that's the day that I'm really going to lose it because that will be it. The end.
I'll just wear my sunglasses as I work in my classroom all day. Then it won't be obvious that I'm crying.
And yes, I'll still see them outside of school because we are friends, but it's just not the same. I share classroom walls with both of these girls. Ashley is on one side of me, Kelly on the other. Just knowing they were there every day was so comforting. Knowing I could pick up the classroom phone or walk over to their room to vent or laugh has been great. We get each other in a way that no one else does. They are my family apart from my family. Goodness. This will be hard.
Let's end on a positive note. A little Wilson Phillips for us. This one goes out to Ashley and Kelly and all my other teacher friends out there. Play this the day before the last day of school. Know that you can "hold on for one more day". We can do it, guys.
