It's a time of year when I have trouble keeping perspective. We still have eight weeks left but I doubt any of them will be normal weeks. We've got concerts, testing, field days, end of year picnics, more testing, class pictures, final field trips, even more testing, and who knows what else. We've got to be flexible, patient, and muddle through. And, ideally, stay focused on what matters.
As a result I feel a need to pause a bit to celebrate some things I've done well this year. It's easy for me to focus on all the things I haven't done this year or didn't do well, all the things I wish I had done better.
For a number of years now I have been sending postcards to my students. I figure everyone loves to get mail and chances are good parents will see the postcard as well. Here are three I wrote this afternoon.
Many of the postcards I send are focused on academic successes. When a student does something awesome during the day I try to grab a postcard that day and write to them.
Other postcards are about different kinds of successes. Anything that is hard for a student is worth celebrating when they do it well. (I also put the bit in here about being tired as a hint to these parents too - here's hoping!).
Every once in a while the postcard might be about something important to that kiddo.
My goal every year has been to send each kiddo four postcards - one each quarter or so. I've never once made that goal. At this point all but a handful of my students have received three postcards. I might just make it this year.
On a side note, one of my darlings wrote this today:
"Dear class this has been the Best skoll year of my life thanks to a few" - then it said, "special friends and" listed kids in our class. As a first grader this is only her third year of school (Head Start, kindergarten, and now) so the whole 'best school year of my life' thing isn't quite as meaningful as it might be in a few years, but I'll take it!
Cross-posted at jenorr.com.
