Tender Times

It has been a roller-coaster of a week....glad it's the weekend!

I interviewed for a teaching position at another elementary school (JR Smith) in Heber on Wednesday. I felt pretty good about the interview and was told I would hear back either way on Thursday. I get a phone call Thursday - but the principal tells me he needs one more day to make the final decision. Talk about torture!
I get a phone call Friday morning on my classroom phone - but I was in the middle of giving a spelling class to a random assortment of 1st graders, so I knew if I answered the phone things would get crazy with the kids. He left a message to call him back. I was sick to my stomach. Recess couldn't come soon enough.
I finally returned his call, but he didn't answer - so I left him a message. He calls me back a while later, but at that point I was in the middle of a Math lesson. I had to answer it this time, so just asked my kids to be quiet for a second while I answer the phone. I just explained the situation and asked if I could call him back during lunch, which he understood and was fine with.
My little rascals were of course listening to the conversation and always amaze me with their inferencing skills. One kid picked up on the fact that it was the principal from JR Smith immediately, so then the whole class was wondering why I was talking with another school. Well....I decided to explain what was going on. I don't keep too many things from them.
Big mistake.
Someone shouted out "Ellie's crying." I looked over and gave her a concerned, but quizzical look. Shes slowly got out, "I don't want you to leave." Then another little girl started crying.
I told them to knock it off because they were going to make me cry.
Then another girl has tears running down her face. What the heck is going on? This was ridiculous.
I gave the whole class a pep talk on how amazing 2nd grade was going to be for them and how much I knew they were going to love it. I even plugged in the fact that they might get another BYU teacher next year.
I also said that we still had 5 whole weeks left together, but that didn't help either.
The girls were sobbing and the boys were acting up and getting annoyed with the girls. The whole math lesson was gone. No one could focus no matter what I tried. They wouldn't calm down. I went and just embraced the girls. They cried for 40 minutes, and through most of lunch. I just had to put a halt to everything and play "Down by the Banks" with all the kids until lunch time.
One girl clung to me and said, "I've never cried this much in my whole life." Of course, I choked up.
I'm sure most of the students and faculty that saw us walking to lunch thought I was beating the kids or something. It was so embarrassing. I had to explain to Mr. Hardy (the principal) and the lady scanning their lunch cards the whole situation.
They thought it was hilarious. I just didn't know what to think at this point.

I told them that no matter what, they would always be my favorite class because they were my first. I will remember them forever and ever. I have gotten so attached to these little kiddies, I don't know how I will handle the last day of school. It will definitely be bitter sweet!
Tender times, indeed. I love my 1st graders!