The question, “Can you be the fat lady?” caught me slightly off guard.  Until I realized Micah (4th grade) was thinking about the end of school in conjunction with the saying, “It’s not over ’til the fat lady sings.”  He assured me, “You are not fat, you are just…”  Some kind of assurance that is, Micah!

So today I took great pride in being the fat lady.  Because, after eight months of bicycling to my one room schoolhouse, I have finished my first year of teaching!  Eight months ago my kindergartners only had a nodding acquaintance with the alphabet.  Today all three of them are able to read passages such as, “I have a pet rabbit.  His name is Rab.  He likes to eat beans and peas.”  Eight months ago the math books were in pristine condition, today those books are finished and Micah’s looks like it barely survived a battle with the local monkeys.

This year has been an incredible adventure.  Some days have been difficult (the comment, “This is impossible!” will only encourage your teacher to be very mean and make you do your science project!), some days have needed great creativity in explaining a concept, many days have been a blessing, and every day has been exciting in its own way.  I am very thankful for this opportunity I’ve had to teach these precious children, but I’m also thankful that my first year of teaching is over!

And the excitement for the new school books that will arrive in just five days is beginning to spill over.  Is it an oxymoron to be glad that school is over, but excited for the new school books and new school year?