A Simple Random Act!

I have really fallen off the face of the earth as far as keeping up with our blog.  I believe I went the whole month of December without one single post.  I almost feel like it is too late now to go back...

There were so many wonderful things that happened in that month too.  I was so busy with our family that I didn't stop to blog the memories.  I do have the pictures and will begin our Shutterfly book shortly - that is a must :)

I wanted to do a fun update on my year in 6th grade!  I could not be happier that I made the move to 6th grade!  Now don't get me wrong, I love the younger students - they bring their own party to the mix, but there is something about my students that makes me feel like I am really doing something important - something life changing.  I'm not sure if it is the fact that they are older, so the conversations can go that much deeper, or if I can relate to them on a different level.  I'm not sure.  Maybe it is because I go home to three littles, so I don't have the early childhood void.  I love my coworkers - talk about team!  I love my students and I love the building I work in.

In all of my years of teaching (7 in Austin and 8 overall) I have NEVER felt as proud as I did today.

Over Christmas break, all of Language Arts assigned our 6th graders with an assignment to perform one Random Act of Kindness on a stranger.  Their assignment was to write a reflective paragraph about their experience.  I had several students telling me about their experiences today, what they did, how the person reacted, how they felt, etc...

I even shared the Random Acts my family has done.

It wasn't until about 2:45 that I felt this extreme sense of happiness.  My principal, Jean McDermott, came to me and asked if my class was doing this type of assignment.  I informed her that all of 6th grade was, but what wondered why she was asking.  Then she showed me TWO - not one but TWO thank you notes from two individuals in our community that were given Random Acts of Kindness from our very own 6th graders.

I felt the tear lump form in my throat - that one you get when you are so proud and happy but you don't want to look like a sobbing mess so you fight back the tears!  Yeah, that one!  These sweet 6th graders, children only 11-12 years old made such a significant impact on another human beings life that they felt compelled to express their gratitude!

I am so proud of their hard work, their determination and their kind hearts.  These kids make me so excited, every single day to get up early, head to school and challenge their thinking, question their understanding, inspire their souls and feed their minds.