Every month, I share a bit of gratitude for a person, a place, or an event in my life. And this month, as I reflect on the (almost) end of another school year, I can't help but let that be the focus of my monthly gratitude post.
Ah, 2019-2020 School Year...
On the first day of school, I wrote about what I wanted my students to know.
And then in November, I wrote about how happy I was to FINALLY have my whole crew all together again since everyone had finally arrived.
We did a lot this year. We read and studied.
We practiced writing and spelling.
We did all sorts of fun Math activities.
We learned all about the Bible and some of the key people in Church History.
We embraced our artsy sides.
We showed off our athletic sides too.
We made all sorts of silly faces.
We even had yummy treats at times.
We enjoyed chapel each week.
We had all sorts of fun at Christmas.
And I have to give a special shout out to this lady... I definitely could not have done what I did without her help this year. She has been (and still is) such an incredible blessing to me, to our students, and to our school, in general. I love that we get along so well and work so well together. And I'm so glad she'll be with us next year too! We wouldn't make it without her. That's for sure!
I led the Kids Club program again this year. Sadly, it was my last year to do it, as I'm going to have to cut back on my extra-curricular activities for next year knowing how much fuller my teaching schedule will be. So I fully enjoyed this year in Kids Club knowing that after 8 years of leading it, this would be my last year.
Kids Club was fun because it included all sorts of fun Bible stories and games.
I also led the Drama Team for the first time this year. It was a HUGE learning curve for me. But y'all... Those kids rocked it all year. They were (are) such an incredible group of high schoolers. I hate they didn't get to finish out the year like they'd planned and worked for. But y'all... I'm so proud of them. They worked hard. They had amazing attitudes. They were super talented and creative. They were helpful and respectful. They made my Tuesday evenings and my Christmas season so much more enjoyable. I loved getting to hang out with them this year!
Half way through 2nd Semester, Corona Virus became a common term in our world and we were so surprised at how quickly it spread worldwide. And we had to start using far more Clorox wipes and hand sanitizer than I ever thought possible. Oh, and we had to start wearing masks anytime we left campus, too.
And then we left school one Friday afternoon and didn't come back. Instead, we shifted to conducting school online. I just thought teaching Special Ed., in general, was challenging. Ha! Teaching Special Ed. online is so incredibly difficult. I had to plan lessons/activities for 10 (yes, 10!) different classes every day. I had to record and edit videos, hold virtual meetings, have read alouds over Zoom calls, require students to take pictures of assignments and submit them in our online portal, and so many more things that have made my tired brain swim most days.
But y'all... We're going to finish at the end of next week. The 2019-2020 school year didn't end the way I would've imagined or hoped. Online school was really really hard for all of us. But we made it work. And that was just further proof of how hardworking and how awesome our little A1 Family really is :)
And as I unpacked the boxes full of books and materials for my crew to use next school year, I felt such great anticipation. Next year will include more students and it will definitely be different from any other year I've taught. But I am so excited to see what God has in store for all the people who will walk through the doors of this classroom. It really is exciting!
And with that, I'll leave you with my favorite picture of the 2019-2020 school year...
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January - Confidence
February - When God Gives A Girl A Brother
March - I Spy
April - Technology and Gratitude
Sounds like you are such a wonderful teacher!
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