All of a sudden, it seems like it is over. We have one more week, 2 full days and 3 halves... but today, I realized, like someone had kicked me in the gut, that these kids are moving on. They won't be mine anymore.

One of the last rites of passage in my room is the turning over of the chalk. I have white boards front and back of the room, and a chalk board along the side wall. I never use the chalk board for anything other than hanging student work on. I don't allow students to just write on the white boards for the heck of writing. Markers and cleaner is too expensive, and to be honest, I hate the mess. But near the end of the year, I drag out the boxes of pastel chalks and hand the chalk board over to the kids to write and draw at will. They can do whatever they want up there so long as they are not mean to each other and it is school appropriate. Some years they write notes to each other, other years, a huge mural emerges. This year, so far, mostly it is little notes to me. It is funny how they can pour out so much emotion in a line or two written in chalk.

Next week will be tough on everyone. The cleaning of the lockers, the last math lessons of the year, the final social studies presentations.... the sad goodbyes.

and another group will be coming in.... "the worst group to ever go through 6th grade...." those teachers profess, just like every year.....

and I look at those faces in the hall, the ones who all know my name..... and look forward to another year!