A Bittersweet Goodbye

Today was my last day at my MLK placement. I wasn't quite sure what to expect emotion-wise. I was worried I would cry my eyes out, but also worried that my excitement to get a new teacher would overshadow my sadness of leaving my kids. I love those kids so much. I developed such close relationships with some of them. I have so many great memories from that short 7 weeks. It really makes me sad that I may never see them ever again. I pray that I've left an impact on them. I tried so hard to get to know all of them, but it's hard when you have 108 kids in your classes. I just know that they way they interacted with me and showed their love and kindness towards me most definitely left an imprint on my heart.

5th period was my favorite. I tried so hard not to have a favorite class, but they were so awesome. I mean, there were kids in other classes that were great and I loved being around, but there was something about that one class. I was sad to leave them. Today in 5th period, they kept telling me how they wanted me to teach them on my last day. They also kept telling me that they didn't want me to leave and how much they were going to miss me. One girl even made the whole class cupcakes since I was leaving. Another girl brought snacks for the class. One guy in the class said we shouldn't be celebrating since I'm leaving. It was more like a funeral. That made me giggle, but also warmed my heart. They loved me and I was only there for 7 weeks. It's crazy how close you can grow to someone in such a short period of time. So at the end of class, the kids all came up and gave me hugs. They kept saying they would miss me and that I needed to come back and visit. I will admit, I cried.

In that last 5 minutes of class, I realized how much of an impact I'd had on them. Along with that, when I was tutoring two girls yesterday, they told me they didn't know how they were going to pass physics without me. Not only did I show love and compassion for them, but those two girls gave me confidence that maybe I had taught them even just a little bit about physics, something I was worried I wouldn't be good at (crazy, but true). I was changed during this placement. God really showed me how much of an impact students can have on me. He also showed me how being a patient kind teacher can have an impact on students. I was worried that I would be too strict or that everyone would hate me, but they have led me to think that maybe I did something right. I am so thankful that I got to be at MLK with those kids. I'm sad to leave, but I know God will continue to bless me and my student teaching experience.

Loving what I do,
Katelyn