I know not to plan a lot for the last day of school. It being a half-day, with a scheduled yearbook signing time, the fifth graders' last walk through the halls, and lunch, there is not much time for more.
 | In recent years, I have played our last-day slide show (with all of our pictures from the school year). The show takes 30 to 40 minutes. This year's class was the quietest. They seemed to take in every photo, pondering every memory with serious intent. With a little extra recess time, we rounded out the day, but not before final speeches. Students sat in a circle and volunteers spoke to their classmates. This year, the speeches was already tearful - more so than expected. I was taken aback by how heartfelt they were. Their honesty and openness with their peers was refreshing. Some of the most emotional sentiments were shared by some of the most unlikely sources. |
Speeches ended with a rousing, Once a Hoggatteer, always a Hoggatteer, and a huge group hug, but that wasn't enough. Students couldn't stop crying and hugging each other and me as they recognized the loss that the end of the year represents, whether for week until summer school begins, three months before they enter fifth grade, or eternity as some people will move away.
 It is one of my favorite days of the year - not because it's the last day, but because it is often the day that I can see the fruits of the year; it's the day that students demonstrate a vulnerability with one another that lets me know that we have made progress. |  |
