I love my students. One of the most rewarding aspects of teaching is the relationship I get to build with these kids- loving them and knowing they love me, too. I know they love me because they tell me, they hug me, and... they bring me presents. Most of these presents are coloring pages or drawing done at home. Last week I got a feather. The little boy who gave it to me told me he saw it on the side of the road and made his dad pull over so he could pick it up. This story is probably partially made up, but either way, I have a feather from the side of the road- gross, right?
The pictures (and feathers) pile up throughout the school year. These things- even if they are sometimes gross- are special because they show that the students don't forget me when they leave class for the day. When they see or make something special they often think of me- and I love that (it's only fair since I obsessively think about the class). However, I don't love trying to figure out what to do with this pile of what is essentially very special trash. Hence, the Wall of Fame.
This is a tiny corner of my room behind my table where I display all the special things students bring to me. It's just a small area so papers get layered: by the end of the year this will be thicker than the layers of wallpaper in my grandma's house. But each student gets their things displayed and when they ask me what I did with their special gift I can find it somewhere is the layers. It lets the students know that I appreciate their gifts, and more importantly, I love them as much as they love me.
At the end of the year these things get rolled up and thrown out- though I always feel sad and sentimental about it. But like a lot of us, I'm trying to embrace the clutter free classroom. And there's not a lot of room for sentiment in my tiny classroom.
The pictures (and feathers) pile up throughout the school year. These things- even if they are sometimes gross- are special because they show that the students don't forget me when they leave class for the day. When they see or make something special they often think of me- and I love that (it's only fair since I obsessively think about the class). However, I don't love trying to figure out what to do with this pile of what is essentially very special trash. Hence, the Wall of Fame.
This is a tiny corner of my room behind my table where I display all the special things students bring to me. It's just a small area so papers get layered: by the end of the year this will be thicker than the layers of wallpaper in my grandma's house. But each student gets their things displayed and when they ask me what I did with their special gift I can find it somewhere is the layers. It lets the students know that I appreciate their gifts, and more importantly, I love them as much as they love me.
At the end of the year these things get rolled up and thrown out- though I always feel sad and sentimental about it. But like a lot of us, I'm trying to embrace the clutter free classroom. And there's not a lot of room for sentiment in my tiny classroom.
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