End of the Year Letter

May 28, 2009

Dear students of C-10,

“Be quiet! Here he comes!” was what I could barely hear from a few busy body students scurrying to their seats behind the closed door of C-10 one day after lunch. It was no secret that as I walked into a dead quiet room and strolled by the Smartboard towards my chair, that the students of C-10 were coming together once again to remind me of how perfect they could be. I played along trying to be the perfect teacher and I think we all enjoyed a few minutes of what the “ideal” classroom would look like according to the scripts in Hollywood. We all knew that this wouldn’t last a whole day, but we enjoyed the ‘moment’ for a few minutes before carrying on the agenda set forth for that day. It’s funny to think back and reflect on what types of memories one keeps close to their heart as they travel through life, but the before mentioned few minutes in time is something I’ll always remember about the class of C-10 fifth graders during the 2008-2009 school year. There are countless other memories that come to mind when reflecting back over the year and I’ll do my best to cover some of them in some poetry as this class seems to have a special talent when it comes to creating poems. So, here’s my first ever try at a “special memory poem” entitled________ (don’t have a name for it yet, maybe you could help me). Enjoy!

(unknown title as of now)

We started the school year early,
And we didn’t get a Spring Break,
But we learned lots about math and reading,
So it’s knowledge with us we’ll take.

Our teacher was very driven,
To keep us reading and writing,
We responded by devouring books,
Some even read by natural lighting.

Then there were games of Scrabble,
Creating words with various points,
An after school club at old the Ugly Mugg,
One of our favorite local food joints.

And please don’t forget all the smiles,
Or getting sidetracked on a lesson,
The wonderful poets and artists,
To guide them was such a blessin’.

Bouncing balls and bouncing kids,
Was something that was seen,
Kids recycling and using less,
Being smart and being ‘Green’.

Our field trip to Camp Pepin was great,
Our memory books supported that fact,
The end of the year is now here,
Let’s get this summer on track.

Now the time has arrived to part ways,
And I know for me that’s a bummer,
But to be optimistic and not so sad,
At least there’s the start of the summer.

Remember to make time for reading,
And you may also might want to write,
In the morning, at night or whenever,
So in 6th grade you’ll shine nice and bright.

I know summers are sacred to students and teachers alike, but to improve your reading and writing skills, I suggest doing a little each day. “What! Read and Write EVERYDAY during the SUMMER? Mr. F, Are you crazy?!”. Not that I know of, but I’ve been called crazy before (and probably even worse), but I guarantee that if you read and write EVERYDAY over the summer, your skills in those areas will improve. Now, to do this you will have to have a journal or writer’s notebook (check) and something to read (a book, magazine, newspaper, dictionary, articles on the W.W.W., whatever). I’d advise to select a time where you can do this each day. 15 minutes of writing and at least 30 minutes of reading. It’s only 45 minutes a day and gives you something to do in the summer (I know that some of you complain to your parents about being bored!). You have strategies on how to select what to write, use them to the best of your abilities. If you need help, contact me through the blog and I’ll see if I can help. Not only will your parents will be very impressed and you might actually learn something or enjoy a great book.
To wrap things up, I just want to say THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for being a great class. I know I’m not the easiest teacher to deal with, and you’ve done a great job putting up with me for a whole year. The way this class worked as a community was really special and I’m glad I was a part of it. If you are interest in playing Scrabble or blogging, make sure to visit the classroom blog as I will be working on it over the summer. Finally, I’ve never been one who enjoys “good-byes”. True, I’m happy for all of you for being ready for 6th grade, but that means you won’t be here at Akin Road next year. And with that I'll sign off.


Sincerely yours,

Mr. Troy M. Feustel