Letters!

I normally try to write up something fun for the 8th graders who are leaving. I tried but just ran out of steam so I figured I'd just skip it this year. That is until Friday when one of those little critters came up to me and asked if I was going to write him a letter. I said no, I'd run out of time and he was crushed. Obviously, I had to rethink my position.

Saturday was my day to write letters. Since I'd seriously left it to the last minute, I typed them up this time and put them inside of note cards.

I discovered something about this process and that is I need to do this every year. It is therapeutic. I had pretty much given up on a lot of these kids because of their snotty attitudes and the way they are so consumed with themselves and no one else. All of this had turned my attitude into one that needed adjusting! As I struggled to find something endearing about some of them, I realized they had some pretty good traits hidden under all that garbage.

Next year, when they start to feel their oats and I start to wane, I'm going to get out my stationery and begin writing early. That way, I'll be focusing on their positives rather than the negatives they love to flaunt! My next discovery: I will miss them!