A reflection of learning & laughter

How many days of school left?

I have no idea.

Why? Because as much as I am of course looking forward to warmer weather (I’m in Canada so summer equals sun & warm weather) and some time off to rest - I’m going to miss my class.

Am I leaving? Nope. Actually, this is my very first year where I will be returning to the same school and same classroom again in September! Many of my students, however, are moving on to new schools in their education journey, and my “little gang” of students is going to be fresh and new next year.

As we begin to journey into our last 2 months together, I find myself reflecting on our school year - both as a class perspective and myself as an educator.

I started with a photo wall - instead of a countdown to summer. It began with just simply printing a few photos of moments I caught in our class - a photo of students reading a book, working hard on their writing or laughing together. This led to many “Ms Amber, can you take a photo and put it on the wall?”

(I’m going to need a larger wall soon, ps)

As a class, we are creating a yearbook together, reflecting on our learning & our laughter. (Side note: yes - laughter. We laugh everyday. It’s basically a rule in my class.) We are taking time everyday to talk about our favourite stories we read, learning activities we did, and putting them together into a book.

As an educator myself, I find myself beginning to reflect on this year. This is my second full year in special education, and I’ve realized something. All those “Dear first year teacher….” things you read, that one that says it actually will get a little easier? It’s true. Yes, this year was still filled with learning and challenges - but I also felt more confident in my abilities, I drew on my learning from the previous year and built on that foundation. I continued to read books. I continued to consult with others who know more than me. I continued to ask questions.

I reflect on the last year and I can see…

I’ve grown.

I’ve strengthened.

I’ve fallen down & gotten back up again.

I’ve learned (so so much).

And, as always, I’m thankful.