An Emotional End

As the year winds down, I have to take the time to reflect on a small group of students that I have truly grown to love.  They will be moving on to the High School next year, and I am very excited, yet anxious for them to go.

I have taught these students every day and sometimes twice a day for the past two years.  I am their core reading teacher and intervention teacher.  I requested to loop with them up to 8th grade after we had such success as a 7th grade "team". They all are students with specific disabilities, varying from learning disabilities to behavior disabilities.  All came to me as struggling readers, with some engaged, but most of them, disengaged, from reading.

We have 5 1/2 days left together and I am appreciating every minute of it.  Here are just a few of the things we MUST get done before summer...

• Engage in our last round of book clubs.  I recently ordered and received books by Saddleback. They are written at a lower lexile level, but with engaging content for MS readers.  We will be using our Notice and Note strategies to closely read and engage in discussions.
• Work on vocabulary through some activities on TV411.
• Celebrate our 40 book challenge (Thanks, Donalyn Miller!)
• Eat Pizza

I don't want to shut my instruction down and start the summer slide a week early.  I owe it to my kids.  I have 5 1/2 days left and I want to make the most of it.