Last Thursday was probably the most joyful, yet hardest days I had to undergo through during my Practicum. I had to say goodbye to 4 of the classes that I was teaching that week. I never truly knew how much of an impact I had on them until Wednesday and Thursday.
The first two classes I had to say goodbye to were my English 9s. I’ve had them since day 1 of my Practicum and we clicked. I took them through the language of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and they had so much fun with it. When my sponsor teacher left the room during my last class, all of my students begged for me to stay to which I had to respond with a sad no.
I said goodbye to my 12s next. We had just finished a project that allowed them to be truly reflective about their identity – who they were in the present, who they are now, and who they want to be in the future. They thoroughly enjoyed the project, and it was very surprising how much they enjoyed my class. Sure, no one wants to be at school at 830am and so no one is gonna be into class. I had them all fill out an evaluation form, and to my surprise, all of them enjoyed coming to my class (even though I am an extremely hard marker).
However, the last class of the day was definitely the hardest to get through – my English 11Es. After the fun lesson I gave them on performance poetry which they all thoroughly enjoyed, I gave them a “One more thing…” kind of gift. I took them from the classroom and into the foyer of the school and because, since February they have been asking me to sing something for them, I sang one of my favourite songs (you can have a listen to it here) and you can see the look of “please don’t ever stop teaching us” on their faces. To my surprise, after we concluded and headed back to the classroom they had a goodbye gift for me as well – a thank you booklet with characters from the movie Frozen and messages from every single student in my class. I couldn’t speak, I was at a loss for words, but I didn’t cry. When the bell rang, each student came up to me and said their own good bye to me. One of my students just stood there speechless and staring at me. Not knowing what to say, after a minute passes by, she says “Thank you” with a smile on her face and rushes off embarrassed.
I had my Final Meeting with my Sponsor Teachers and Faculty Advisor and it was an amazing meeting. Not only did I pass, but they said that I was one of the best student teachers they ever had the privilege of working with. I still did not shed a tear. However, what got to me was that when all was said and done, and after they all left the building, I stayed just reflecting on my 10 weeks at my school. Just as I started packing up, no more than 15 minutes after her departure, my Faculty Advisor comes through the door. I asked if she forgot something and she said she did and proceeded to give me a big hug. Afterwards, she said, “That’s all. I think I will finally be going now.” She left the classroom and immediately tears began falling. I have not been so thankful, so appreciative of everything given to me in my life than in that moment. For 15 minutes, I paced throughout the room with tears flowing down my face beholding and pondering at the love my God had for me when He affirmed me all those months ago about going into the teaching profession, when He affirmed me in my struggles in my studies and when I hit rock bottom in my Practicum, and when He affirmed me by allowing me to have another chance at doing something amazing.
Father, I kneel at the foot of the cross of Your Son, ever so thankful, ever so blessed at the opportunities You have given me on this earth. I pray that as I continue to pursue my profession that I may guide your children into choosing good over evil, and that they may continue to grow and love you more and more with everyday that passes. Thank you for the multitude of chances You give me when I fail, and thank you for the arms You use to lift me up when I feel hopeless. Continue to inspire in me a heart to love and serve you all the days of my life. Amen.
