The Internship Ends

The internship ended on Friday. It was a day with mixed emotions as the reality of leaving my newly acquired teaching post got nearer. I was very honored on Friday. The Kindergartners made me a picture book; the caricatures of me are hysterical! My mentor teacher made a memory book, which I truly treasure. Somehow she captured every student that I worked with over these last eleven weeks. Finally, I received a decorative plate, made of handprints, thumbprints, and finger prints, so precious.

My final teaching session ended with the making of “dirt”. Dirt is a fun dessert made from chocolate pudding, crushed Oreo cookies, and gummy worms. Since we had been studying plants for two weeks (planting seeds, plant journals, counting seeds, plant spelling words, reading plant books, etc) it seemed like a perfectly appropriate collaborative activity. It was fun to do, but eating a cupful of dirt at 8:30 in the morning taxed our stomachs.

And the hugs…I got several of my daily hugs. Those are mostly the kindergartners who just can’t say hi without a hug. Then came the occasional hugs, mostly from the second graders, since we spend most of our time with that grade. And finally the fifth grade hugs. Shocking, I know, and I was totally taken off guard. Those little rascals that drove me nuts now want to be my friend. (I want to think they wanted to be my friend all along, but being fifth graders, they were too cool to admit it)

I had lunch with my favorite fourth graders, AND my new best friend fifth graders (at their invitation!) Why did they wait until the last day? I read books with a few more of my second graders, and the day came to an end.

I have to admit that I am ready to get back to my normal day job, we have an exciting summer lined up at church. But I think I will miss my students on Tuesday (Monday is a holiday). I know this really dates me, but I hear the melody of the ending of the Carol Burnett Show in my head….

I’m so glad we had this time together,
Cause it makes me feel like I belong.
Seems we just got started and before you know it,
Comes the time we have to say, 'So long.'

Thank you Lake Murray Baptist for giving me the opportunity to finish my Masters in Special Education. I can’t wait to tell you all my stories (I probably have more than you want to hear!)

Thank you Carolina Springs Elementary for making me feel like I belong, you're the best.

Thank you readers for reading the blog.

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. Jude 24-25

For the Children,

Al Lawson