Today, we decorated big brown bags to bring our stuff home in. We played all of our Happy Meal KidzBop CD’s while we worked. All of a sudden, Teardrops on my Guitar came over the CD player. 13 little children (3 of us were elsewhere) began singing in perfect harmony. Now, I’ll always think of the Bears when I hear this song. I was answering emails and the children were not paying any attention to me. I turned around and just watched them (as I have done so many times before) while they worked and sang (as they have done so many times before) and it hit me. We were decorating bags for our stuff. We were about to take it all down. Our little world was about to change. In a big way. Today was the last time we would be just like this. Just like we have been for 177 days. Singing and working and reading and talking…….

Tomorrow is fun day. Tuesday, some of us won’t be back. Wednesday, some more of us will be gone. And Wednesday afternoon at 2:30, those who are left will walk out of #221 for the last time as “my class”. All of this hit me as I listened to those sweet voices sing. It is rare that I just get to sit and savor a moment at school, but today I did just that, for as long as the CD played, I watched and listened and was thankful for having been a small part of their lives. Thankful to all of you for sharing them with me. I am going to miss them – terribly.

The CD eventually ended and so we took down the kelp forests, the sea turtles, the crabs and the sharks. We took down our paper people, the first thing we ever hung up together. We took home crayons and scissors. Paints and glue. Stuff from our chair pockets. Nametags, too.

Our room looks empty. My heart feels the same way.

Tomorrow will be fun day and we will continue to make memories together for a few short hours…….

tick tock….tick tock…..

Alicia (who wonders if it’s too late to retain the whole bunch……..)

So this is it. We’ve come to our last full week as a class. I know that some people are starting their vacations on Memorial Day and will not be back for the last 2 days. If that is you, please send a note so I can know just whose things I need to gather together and send home at the end of this week. Please send your child’s backpack everyday this week. We will not need bear books after Memorial day, but we will need backpacks EVERYDAY that you come to school until the very end. There is always something to carry home. I just don’t want things to get lost and once we start taking down the room, things get misplaced really quickly. Just let me know your plans. For the record, I will be at school Tues & Wed & Thursday after Memorial Day.

The play and the portfolio day were fantastic. Thank you for your support! We had a great time doing it and hope you enjoyed it!  If you have pictures of the play (my camera was at home) please burn them to a disk and send them and I will include them in the final slideshow. You will probalby get the slideshow in the mail, along with your copy of “All I Learned from The Bear Class”. I will not be able to upload the fun day photos and burn all the disks before we leave on Friday afternoon after FUN DAY! So look forward to that bit ‘o fun in the mail….

I just realized that I never told you the outcome to the girl who was looking at our adoption album. She chose the other couple based on some pretty specific things like military backgrounds, certain hobbies shared by the birth couple and the adoptive parents, etc….. We are OK. We know that God will send us the baby He wants us to have….after all, that’s how we got Grayson……….  🙂

I have loved every minute with your children. They are special and precious to me, as are all of you. Thank you so much for sharing this year with me……

This is not the last post, but I hear the clock ticking……

Alicia

I am pretty sure you can unsubscribe by using the link at the bottom of the page. Please do not do this until Friday, May 29th because we might still have important stuff to tell you!  🙂 

Fun Day is Friday! Read the blue sheet that came home last week for information. Please make sure your child has a beach towel to use and brings a change of clothes including undergarments.

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OK, Bear Class People-

By now you KNOW that the play is on Thursday at 12:45 (I’d get here a little early but go to the MP room, not our class room…..we will NOT have time to see you right then…..)

Each child will need to wear jean shorts or a jean skirt, or just regular blue jeans for the play. We will change into their cute Zoo shirts at school and they may keep these after the play. (We will also be wearing spiffy Zoo Animal glasses that they MAY NOT keep because they belong to the first grade team at RQ!) Don’t worry though….each Bear will get a nice going away gift from me before they move on to the great unknown of 2nd grade……

We had our dress rehersal today and it was fantastic. The Bears will be sitting on the risers next to the windows/faculty parking lot. You should be able to get some cutie-patootie pictures while we are waiting our turn to sing!

After the play, give us about 5 extra minutes, then come on down to the classroom. We will be waiting for you! Each Bear will have his portfolio box (with a collection of lots of stuff we’ve done this year) and each Bear will go through his box with his important people. (See why it’s a big deal for each Bear to have a person?) I will not be presenting, the children will each present to their own special people.

We will have snacks and I will read “All I learned in First Grade” and we will probably move to the wet lab for the slideshow. There won’t be a dry eye in the house cause these Bears are so stinkin’ cute! 🙂 Each Bear will get a copy of the slideshow at the end of the year (but not tomorrow ’cause I will need to add photos from field day and fun day) before giving it out.

It’s a big day. Don’t miss it.

Like the song says, “You’re gonna miss this……..You’re gonna want this back, You’re gonna wish these days, hadn’t gone by so fast……..”

Me, too. 🙁

Happy Mother’s Day, Bear Class Moms! Thank you so much for all of the precious cards, drinks, flowers, candy and happy thoughts last week on Teacher Appreciation Week. Your sweet words mean more to me than you’ll ever know. In the future, if I am having a bad day, I’ll pull them out and re-read them all again and I’ll see the sweet faces of these children I love so much! The duty free lunch was lovely and I enjoyed it tremendously!

Today, I’d like to leave you with one of my favorite poems about being a Mom. I did not write it, but I have lived every word. For those of us to whom becoming a Mommy did not come as easily or as expected, Mother’s Day is an especially precious day. Thank you so much for sharing your children with me. I love all of them dearly. I hate that our time together is coming to an end so soon.

Enjoy.

Before I was a Mom
Before I was a Mom –
I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed. I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.
Before I was a Mom –
I cleaned my house each day. I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby. I didn’t worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations.
Before I was a Mom –
I had never been puked on – Pooped on – Spit on – Chewed on, or Peed on. I had complete control of my mind and My thoughts. I slept all night.
Before I was a Mom –
I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests…or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.
Before I was a Mom –
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn’t want to put it down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn’t stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life
so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom.
Before I was a Mom –
I didn’t know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn’t know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn’t know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn’t know that something so small could make me feel so important.
Before I was a Mom –
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known The warmth, The joy, The love, The heartache, The wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn’t know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

Happy Mother’s Day, friends. Alicia