Calm and frustrated and all excited

I can tell summer is just around the corner. For one thing, the noise level has never been louder in my classroom (and I mean never, as in all five years I've been teaching). And then there are the sentimental little notes and gifts I keep receiving from students. Even though I'm still in school mode (because I see everything we still need to accomplish before the year is over, and I'm not quite ready to say good-bye!), some of my students are definitely on vacation mode.

This note was handed to me last week, with at least ten more days of school.

Apparently, this student is ready to start calling me by my first name now that she's almost done with third grade. :)

I'm touched by this creative poem from a student who would probably not claim to enjoy writing. (I'll do my best to translate it!)

Teachers are nice and some are scared of mice. :)
Some are mean. Sometimes they're grumpy, sad, or maybe they're mad.
They give rewards and they're disappointed.
They like and dislike.
They're calm and frustrated and they're all excited. 

Tomatoes, lions, and a dollar a day

The year is winding down to a close... only 12 more days of school this year! I have so many memories to cherish. This is just a snapshot of a few of them from the last week or so.

I feel so appreciated and loved. Not only do I receive gifts, but I am also regularly blessed with handwritten notes and pictures.

There is nothing like reading a nine-year-old's writing. (I have come to realize through conferencing with students on their writing projects that sometimes I am better at deciphering their writing than they are!)

When asked to write about an Easter memory:

When I was about five I tried a tomato my first time (I was forced). I threw it against the wall after I took a bite. It almost hit my grandma.

After reading the story of Daniel and the lions' den, the students were asked: What "lions" can the Lord deliver you from?

• school work 
• thunderstorms
• going to bed 
• For Social Studies because I sometimes get stuck on a question. 
• brothers and sisters 

And definitely my favorite:

• Making a yes answer to a boy of marrying me. 

And we have a new, revised quote, as one of my students proclaimed one day: "A dollar a day keeps the doctor away!"