Coffee

I love coffee. Therefore, my students love coffee. On a regular basis, multiple kids will ask to try my coffee throughout the day, point out the smell of coffee on my breath, or tiptoe to my coffee cup and pretend to drink it. It's a typical part of our day, to talk about Ms. Estrada's coffee. It's funny what builds community in the classroom...I think most of my students will remember coffee about first grade. We've made How-Tos about coffee, discussed what makes me feel happy, smelled it, and EC brings a coffee mug filled with tea each day to pretend she has coffee with her.
These are the things I will miss about this class...the silly way JB ALWAYS stays on the rug when I've excused everyone to their desks and undoubtedly will ask "What are we supposed to do?"and I try my hardest not to get extraordinarily exasperated with his absent-mindedness. I'll miss holding his hand as we walk to his desk and I tell him he needs to ask his friend sitting next to him because I've already gone over the directions twice. I'll miss (never thought I'd say this) EC minding everyone's business and touching all my things and being a busy-body, simply because she is who she is and will always be this way and I love her for it. I will miss AC's crumbling tears because her dad came to pick her up early from school, and RD's pouty looks and then trying to disguise them when I furrow my brows at her. I'll miss EMM's excitement at EVERYTHING "I LOVE THIS!!!" and ZK's backward S's.
My classroom is in chaos at this moment, but I love these children so much. I did more testing today and found that my lowest student at the beginning of the year is now reading a Level I (!) and that right now we need to just enjoy eachother's presence. I'm going to have a big talk with my class tomorrow about kindness (again) with the idea that we only have three short weeks left together and then we may not see eachother as much.
YAY SUMMER, BUT BOO to saying goodbye to a truly special, sweet, somewhat dysfunctional class. :)