Cleaning Up

As I am sitting at school on Memorial Day, cleaning up the remnants of my first year of teaching, I came across a letter from one of my EXCEL students.  EXCEL is similar to a homeroom in which you have a small group of kids (12-14) every day for about 20 minutes.  This letter was one of the end of the year activities in which the 8th graders write a letter to a 7th grader telling them what will be different and important to know next year.  This letter made my day and appreciate the fact that I made a difference for one student.

Dear sevy,
  Hey there!  I'm writing you a letter about eighth grade.  There are a lot of things you are going to need to know in order to become an eighth grader.  Number one: Always respect your elders no matter how they act.
  Anyway being an eighth grader is a lot more fun than being a sevy!  Just trust me.  There are some really cool teachers.  Hopefully you'll be in the EXCEL of the most amazing teacher ever!  Ms. Huling...well she will be Mrs. Rahmiller.  Ms. Huling has inspired me the whole year.  She's like my hero.  I'm not even joking.  If you couldn't tell, she's my favorite teacher.
  Anyway, on with why being an eighth grader is amazing.  you can get seconds at lunch.  That's pretty cool.  Also you get better at sports.
  Every three weeks we change literacys with Ms. Huling, Ms. Kreb, and Mr. Karels.  If you ever have any questions just ask.  It's always better than just sitting there doing nothing.
  There is more homework in 8th grade but just deal with it and get it done.  Then if you do that you'll be fine.

This student has also decided to use her running talent and try cross country in the fall.  (Although I did put a bug in her ear she did make this decision by herself)  She is so excited about it and on the day of the meeting she ran around the halls trying to round people up.  I'm so glad I get to work with her in the fall! :)