"My" Kindergarteners

So, for the past 8 weeks or so, I have been teaching a group of Kindergarteners whose teacher took another job. It has been exhausting, rewarding, impossible, and completely satisfying all at the same time. Yesterday I told them that we had hired their new teacher. I was telling them in story fashion. Once upon a time there was a group of wonderful Kindergarteners...You get the picture. They nodded and smiled as I told the story they knew was about them. I shared that I hoped they would always be able to share their feelings verbally so they wouldn't need to hide or hurt others when they were feeling badly. I told them that their new teacher wanted to be their teacher so badly because she had heard they were so wonderful and that I loved them so much (I do).

Then, I burst into tears. I tried to stop them, but decided suddenly that maybe they needed to know how I really felt. So I asked them what they thought my tears meant. Their answers were so insightful. We ended up hugging and talking about love and loss. It was an amazing moment I'm unlikely to forget.

I have helped these kids and they have helped me. I think that's called teaching.