Mary Poppins brings all of us to our best

With Every job when it's complete

There is a sense of bitter-sweet

That moment when you know the task is done

Though in your heart you'd like to stay

To help things on their way

You've always known they must do it alone

One of the things I love about seeing the Broadway version of one of my favorite movies is that the different themes tend to smack you across your face when it comes at you from the magical stage of Broadway instead of your 12 inch TV screen. This past weekend I went to see Mary Poppins in Sacramento with my family and Dash and I had one of these "thematic slaps" at the very end of the play. To really get it though, you need some background....

This is the last week of school before summer break. After summer (aka in early August) I start my teaching credential program at Sac State and will have a new school and a new bunch of kiddos to get to know. It seems to be the way that life just reminds you just how good you've got it right before it is time to give it up and move on. I've just had several occasions in the past week or two reminding me of just how cool these kids are that I've gotten to work with this year. Whether it be in the form of a gold mining field trip with 4th graders, helping out in a kindergarten class, making books out of scrap paper with a group of hard working 2nd graders, or listening to the funny jokes of a 4th grade boy, it has just been so enjoyable! 

However, there is one little 4th grader who has made such a difference in my year! I can't imagine how this year would have been without him there. I'd be lying if I said I didn't grow attached to him. As school is winding down, I've thought a lot about how I'm going to maintain contact with him. I just wanna know how he's doing, how school is going, let him know I still care about him! Ahhh!!!! so much "I wants"....

Anyway, back to my thematic slap this weekend. At intermission I was talking to my mom about feeling anxious about leaving a life that I've grown to really enjoy, to start a new one with quadruple the amount of stress. She reminded me that the things I love the most about my job will always be present as a teacher.... Being the typical stubborn daughter I am, I tried to tell her that I just do what I do so well and I don't want to leave the kids and I just don't wanna.....

Well it wasn't until the last song (the 6th reprise of Spoonfull of Sugar) came on that Mary Poppins herself gave me some advice that will probably stick with me so long as I grow close to kids in the classroom.... She reminded me that even though your heart wants nothing more than to stay put and constantly be around, the real success and gratitude lies in stepping back and watching kids do it on their own. I hope that my year spent with these kids, my one little friend in particular, impacts them in a positive way. 

After all, Mary Poppins says it all when she says "they must do it alone" ......

Through their eyes

This past week I was reminded of how fun it is to look at the world from a kid/student's perspective! Often times, I find it hilarious the things that kids find important, or the ways that they joke, or the way they try to weasel their way out of consequences. They can be so creative when they want to be! 

This past week, I went on a field trip to the California Train Museum with the 4th grade class I work with. There is one student in particular that I spend extra time with most days of work, but especially on field trips. Long, long, LOOONGG story short, he and I are pretty close and he has a special place in my heart. 

Anyway, back to the field trip... So this one little friend of mine displayed some early signs of being bored with the field trip as he had visited that museum not too long ago. I forget how it came about, but essentially, he asked if he could take a picture with my camera. I responded with a relaxed and casual "Shure" and before I knew it, he is running around taking pictures of EVERYTHING! It is nothing but comical when I think about how his little brain thought that taking pictures of these things was important enough! Here are some of the gems that I got on my camera at the end of the day....  

a self portrait, capturing the energy of this excited photographer! 

apparently, this mannequin was important... or just really cool looking..... or neither, and was just worthy of a picture to capture his eternal poise. 

when looking at the pictures, my photographer friend said "I took this one of you when you weren't looking" well apparently you did, little guy! 

This was my personal favorite... I rounded the corner to find the photographer of the day pushing the 2 girls in our group to take a "smiling" picture with this museum docent... I wonder if These docents have ever felt so popular while on the job? 

**All the pictures posted are the doing of a 4th grader, not myself! 

I was just reminded this day how important, and fun it is to look at the world through the eyes of the kid. One of the things that struck me most, was that at the end of the day when I was walking my little friend out to the front of school, he thanked me for a fun day. He thanked me for letting him use my camera, and for letting him play games on my phone during the down times in the cars. But he also said "Thank you for trusting me with your camera for the day" and I think that was the most important lesson either of us could have enjoyed that day.