So, my classes are blogging this year, so I decided I would update my old blog. I had planned to delete all of the old blogs and just start fresh. I deleted most of them, but there is this one. The one still posted below. There isn't anything that was said in the blog that is important. It is actually a very simple blog that was kind of boring; however, the pictures. You see, to someone who doesn't know the story, or someone who wasn't involved with my school, you may not understand that one of the students in those pictures is no longer with us. One of the students in those pictures, one that made my class a lot of fun, someone who made my year better, and made me become a better teacher decided the following year that his life wasn't worth it anymore. One of those students took his own life, leaving our school with a hole in our hearts that will forever be there, empty and unfilled. I think about this student daily. His picture stays on my desk, reminding me that every single student in my classroom has a purpose and a reason. I think about him each night when I am hugging my own two boys before bed. I think about him when my boys are having a bad day or when they are putting too much pressure on themselves. I worry about them and hope they never feel that same emptiness he felt. I pray I realize the warning signs if another student ever feels that shattered on the inside. I hope that I can be someone that the students can lean on when they need someone to talk to on their bad days. You see, I can't delete his picture. I can't delete anything about him from my memory because every single day I think about what I could have done differently. How I missed the signs and the warnings. I question if there was ever anything I could have said to stop the pain or anything I could have said to let him know he was never alone. He was so loved. He was so special. I hope he knew. I hope I did my job of showing him that. Every single student in my classroom has such a special place in my heart. Whether they know it or not, they all take a small place in my heart and I want all the best for each of them. No matter what, if they don't learn anything else in my classroom, I hope they learn that they are loved and they are worth it. They are so worth it.
We are so excited about getting started with the iPads this year. I know I am looking forward to my students having more of an input in their learning. Today, we completed a WebQuest over September 11, 2001 to go with the book we are currently reading: September 11, 2001 Attack on New York City. Everyone did a great job participating, learning interesting facts, and working in groups.
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AboutOur classroom blog is an insight to what is happening in 7th Grade Literature at AMS. Archives
October 2015
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