School's Out for Summer!

Yahoo!  I am so incredibly excited (and relieved) that this school year is behind me.  For those of you who know me well, this has been the worst school year of my career.  I know that I complained a lot about my workload and some extremely difficult students over the course of the school year, and for that, I apologize.  Just so you know, there were many high points, too.  I think I'll share a few with you:

1.  Two students were identified as students with learning disabilities, and were finally able to start receiving much-needed services.
2.  Both of the aforementioned students gained confidence and made significant progress.
3.  I worked with some amazing parents that were encouraging and supportive.
4.  Most of the students on my caseload were hardworking and helpful.
5.  I almost literally peed my pants laughing over some of the crazy antics of my students.  I'm not kidding; I   have never laughed so hard or so much in my life.  These kiddos were awesome - "Midget Power!!!"
6.  I gained some confidence and started sharing my opinion more - big step!
7.  My co-worker and I "divorced" and I moved into my own room.  Although it was sad to leave my buddy, it was nice to have my own room.  (We split amicably...no worries).  :O)
8.  My Skills for Adolescents (SFA) class became a "family" group, and the students grew closer to each other.  They are far from perfect, but I believe they took many lessons to heart.
9.  My SFA family made wreaths for residents at a local nursing home for Christmas, and two of my students helped deliver them to the residents and got to see the direct impact of their kindness and hardwork.
10. One of the students that I taught in 6th grade just completed 8th grade.  I have loved watching him learn and grow, and I am so proud of the progress that he has made.  He came to visit me during lunch nearly everyday (even though he was no longer a student of mine) and shared "Brain Pop" videos with me (he has Autism, and I was kind of "written" into his daily routine).  I gave him a card and a gift today, and when he read the card, he said it was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to him.  
11. And finally, I feel as if I truly made an impact in the lives of some of my students.  It would be naive of me to think that I can have a positive influence on all of my students; if I can make an impact in the life of one student, then I consider it a successful school year.  Through the kind words that were shared with me, the lunch visits, the progress some of my students made, and through the beautiful smiles and laughter, I know that this school year was successful.

OK, so that was more than a few, but I wanted to share some of the positive events that occurred throughout the school year.  I am so looking forward to spending the summer with my sweet little boy.