I just finished baking for my 3rd period IB Language class tomorrow, as it’s our last day together, and I promised them a “Jingle Jelly Jam Party” featuring a few baked goods and my homemade jam.  They’ve worked crazy hard this semester, survived a really daunting assessment in November, and are essentially going to coast through the “final exam” tomorrow and right into farm trivia and a lesson on framing via The Princess Bride. 🙂 I love that our last day together can finally be some downtime to laugh and bond over food–because that’s what I think I do best.

It’s been a tough semester and while life has brought some serious challenges, I’m thankful for the obstacles that have made me stronger, optimistic for what lies ahead, and most of all, so grateful to be “home” to spend much needed time with our family.

I sorted through a variety of brownie-stained letters from today, and for the first time realized that I may have done okay by some of my students, in spite of feeling like I couldn’t or didn’t give enough.  I realized again, how resilient, forgiving, and incredible high school students can be.  They get a bad rap sometimes, and it takes some perspective to really get them.

Three of my students helped pack up my room today, and I even trusted them to pull up my car and load it…now that’s love and trust if I’ve ever seen it!  These three and a few others went in together on this incredibly thoughtful gift, and as I re-read their notes inside the cover of a beautiful copy of Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales, I thought about how influential we are in each others’ lives–so much of who I am is a result of small, but important moments with people who have touched my life and left a print.

Maybe my former students will entirely forget their gestures, but I will always remember the day that my JECA kids gave me a surprise party and a necklace I still treasure, and the day an unexpected group of Norcross kids gave me a fairy tale collection I’ll read over and over again to my nieces and nephews.

Life has a funny way of working out, and I feel entirely content as my final batch of cupcakes for tomorrow cools and awaits frosting.