Another Goodbye

I rolled off subbing in my old classroom on Friday.  The new teacher finished a transformation of the classroom - complete room rearrangement and brand-new, colorful bulletin boards. She's establishing new classroom routines and getting to know the school routines. She's been meeting with parents upon their request, to get to know specific concerns parents have about their child, and to ease their anxiety over the third new teacher for their child since September.  Today it's just her in there without me. 

As I said in a previous post, I have mixed feelings about rolling off. Today it feels good to have time to do some laundry and write.  I was already missing the students last night.  And it also feels weird to have no where to be today. I enjoy working, but there's too much going on in my life.  I need less work, or something closer to home, or preferably both.  There are a few possibilities on the horizon, but nothing definite yet.

I did go out in style. My last day was the first "ski Friday" so half of the fifth graders were out of the building. I let the new teacher and the other fifth grade teacher have a day of planning.  The principal and I took all of the fifth graders who did not sign up to go skiing for a STEM Friday with a space theme.  I wore my flight suit and showed the kids where they can access NASA's video gallery. We made straw rockets out of different materials, which took much longer than anticipated. Toward the end of the day I played the "round peg in a square hole" clip from Apollo 13, and talked about creating a design knowing the end result required and the materials on hand, but having to come up with the process.  Students then attempted rubber band propeller planes with a photograph of the end result displayed and all the materials laid out for them.  They ran out of time to complete even one propeller plane, but they had fun. I'm thinking there may have been lots of straw rockets flying in fifth grade homes this weekend, and perhaps even one or two rubber band propeller planes.

The incoming teacher had the kids make me thank you posters and write me thank you letters. Their letters credit me with changing the culture of the class, making science fun, and bringing art back into their instruction.  I think many of them were genuinely sad to see me leave. I know I was sad to leave.