Class Reunions

So I'm not even sure how the idea popped into my head. But this Winter Break I decided to do a little mini-reunion for my students that I still keep in contact with. I started at a new school this year and the hardest part of doing that was not getting to see my former students growing up anymore. They used to come visit me during school events-my Meet-the Teacher Night would be very crowded with past families stopping by to say "hello". I facilitated several clubs on campus that they would attend. And of course, I would see them in the hallways, in the cafeteria.

I figured out I have about 15 friends on Facebook who are parents of former students. I wanted to invite them to something, but what? Ideally we could meet up at the park-the kids would have something to do and we could catch up. But with the latest arctic blast I couldn't be sure the weather would be conducive. We could do it at the library, however I felt like we'd make too much noise. I decided to send out an invitation to meet me at Barnes and Noble. I would be in the Children's Section, come by and say hi. Being honest, I literally created an event on Facebook about 10 times before I ended up sending it out. I called my sister (who is a parent) twice to ask "is this a stupid idea?". Finally I pushed send.

6 families came and I have to say it was just soul-nourishing to catch up with them. To hear them talk about their new teachers and what they have been learning. To swap book recommendations with each other. I hope to do it again this summer.

One of the most important things we do is develop relationships with our students. If they know we care about them they will care about what we are teaching. I am so thankful I get to see them grow up beyond just what they do in Kindergarten!