Reasons to Smile

The school year is winding down. In six short weeks the little angels who have graced my classroom will be moving out and moving on. That means six weeks of panic while I review curriculum, assess progress and hope that I have given my students everything they need to be successful in first grade. 

In the midst of the craziness that is the end of the school year, my wonderful students have given me many reasons to smile this week.  Some smiles were inspired by snippets of overheard conversation, some by the antics and actions of individual children, some by the evidence of student learning and some by the sheer pleasure of watching children learn, explore and play. Let me share a few...

First, how can you not smile when looking at that adorable face? Second, my heart swelled with pride when I heard, months after our study of American symbols, "Look, Mrs. Zeidler, I'm Lady Liberty!"

After spending their afternoon discovery time at the take apart station, two girls brought me the circuit board from a dvd player. The first girl said, "Mrs. Zeidler, look at this. It looks like a city. The green part looks like grass and the black things look like trees. The bigger black things are like buildings." The second girl said, "It is like a bird's eye view." And yes, we did talk about that expression during our geography unit. You guessed it--big smile!

After setting out some donated shoe boxes at the makerspace area with a sign saying, "Can you make a diorama?" my face was in permanent smile mode after seeing these creative results. Keep in mind, there were no directions provided or examples modeled by the teacher.

"That's my mom sunbathing on the grass." How cute is that?

While sitting at the guided reading table, listening in while students read their story. "Mrs. Zeidler, look---it's a blend!"

I could go on and on, but really, what makes me smile the most is realizing just how much children can do and learn when you simply give them time to play and explore. I am so proud of the students in my classroom. They are creative. They are problem solvers. They are questioners. They are thinkers. They are readers. They are writers. They are mathematicians. They are geographers and economists. They are good friends and good citizens. They are sweet angels and they have found a place in my heart and taken up permanent residence. I am blessed.