Last day of school!

Today was our last day of pre-k school. The extended care program will continue through the summer. I will work through the summer and aide in the fall until I begin student teaching (God willing...this has been a long process) next spring. The end of the year is bittersweet. Even though there are many days I want to wring these kids' necks, they truly are amazing and we have learned so much from each other. It is hard to let them go into the hands of another and move on. They are really sweet and wonderful children, especially one on one. This is us outside of the church after our field trip to the fire station last week.















The sweetest thing happened at nap time today. One of the children in my class, Landon, has an incredible personality. He is the one who has caused me the most anguish, but he is also the one I will miss the most. The year has gotten progressively better. During the fall he would sometimes ask about my Dad. He always wanted to know his name, what he was doing, and where he was. He wasn't sure what to think when I said my Dad was in heaven. Anyways, so today at nap all the other children were asleep except for Landon and he was whispering these adorable questions to me as I lay beside him trying to get him to sleep. The conversation went something like this:

L: Where's your Daddy at?
B: In heaven.
L: What's he doin' there?
B: Playing cards with Jesus. (This is a response I developed to this question over the year because it makes me smile and remember my Dad is having a great time in heaven.)
L: Do you get to see him?
B: Sometimes.
L: Do you miss him?
B: Yes.
L: How do you get up there?
B: Um, I don't. He comes down to me.
L: Does he walk?
B: Sort of.
L: How?
B: The angels help him.
L: Is he hurt? Is he sick?
B: No, he was sick, but he's not anymore.
L: What are the angels for?
B: Jesus sends them from heaven to protect us.
L: When is he gonna come back?
B: He's not. When you go to heaven you stay there forever.
L: Oh, I'm gonna go there, I am...

And these are moments that make me so glad to be a teacher. Amen.