26 Letters…26 Days…28 Years… An ABC Reflection on my Journey in Education
This year I retired after 28 years in the South Carolina public school system. As I was nearing the end of the school year, each day got harder and harder. I wasn't sure I was ready to leave the classroom or take the leap into starting something new on my own. We were doing an ABC Countdown for our students, so to help me refocus my attention on all the wonderful things from the past 28 years of my career instead of being sad about that chapter ending…I decided to put my reflections into writing and create my own ABC Countdown on Facebook each morning. Here are all 26 letters and 26 days of reflections in one blog post on the very first “Notes from Firefly Creek.”
26…
the number of letters in the alphabet, the number of days left in school, and the number of days I have left walking into a school as a teacher. It is bittersweet to arrive at this number after 28 years of walking into an elementary school each morning. Twenty-eight years filled with incredible memories, wonderful people, unexpected lessons, laughter, tears, and so many moments that have shaped who I am as an educator—and as a person.
One letter for each day left of the school year.
Aa is for Autism
Who knew just a few years into my teaching career I would have a wonderful assistant principal come to me and ask if I had ever thought about teaching in a preschool special education classroom. Hmmm…I went to observe and a little boy with Autism plopped down in my lap, reached up to my face and that was it! I felt the biggest tug at my heart and knew that was where I needed to be. Over the years I have learned so much about Autism from amazing trainings and research, but it actually was WHO I learned the most from. My autism journey put the most incredible kids, families, teachers and therapists in my life and I will forever be grateful for them.
Bb is for Books, Boundaries, Belonging, Believing, Becoming, & Behavior
Books-oh the books, one of my most favorite things to use in the classroom…so so so many things you teach and learn from a book, so many connections and ah-ha moments come from books
Boundaries-kids thrive when given boundaries. Boundaries are also important for your adult self too..a layer of protection that you sometimes need.
Here is where words from our sermon come in…
Belong…when you create a sense of belonging in your classroom, kids can feel safe, take risks, and feel loved and then some of the best learning can take place.
Believe…believe in your students/children and help them learn how to believe in themselves
Become…children can begin to become the best version of themselves when they have a sense of belonging and believe in themselves.
Behavior - so many things I have thoughts on about behavior. If you offer a child all of the things above and teach them what to do when they feel big emotions, you can watch them soar. I am so thankful I had the opportunity to spend my last 2 years of teaching at ATLAS working with such amazing people and kiddos.
Cc is for Children & Conscious Discipline
Children - they are why we do what we do each day…to help them grow and learn emotionally, socially, and academically.
Conscious Discipline - an amazing program that helps children (and adults) understand emotions and build the skills to use strategies to regulate emotions. Learning how to communicate feelings and problem solve before feelings take over their thinking brain and learning how to repair things when big feelings do take over.
Dd is for Dress Up Days and Duty
Dress Up Days- celebrating special days to help the kids get excited about school and events. 100th day, field day, superhero day, 101st day, what do you want to be when you grow up day, 50s day, wild about books/animal print day, book character day and so many more.
Duty - can’t forget the morning and afternoon duties….opening car doors, greeting kiddos, morning clubs, calling dismissal names, typing dismissal names, saying goodbye as you help them get to the bus or car.
Ee is for Early Mornings
For the past 28 years, I have set an alarm anywhere from 4:15-5:20am. I have driven as long as 45 minutes and as little as 8 minutes to get to school. Before we had children, the drives alone were spent preparing my mind for the day, listening to music, praying and thinking. Then, I became a mom and had the blessing of being able to share my drives with these two amazing little girls - taking them to Deedah's, then to school as they got older when we were at the same schools and heading home with them too. For a few years, I even got to carpool with one of my best friends to school with her boys as well. Lots of great memories. For the past 2 years, it has been just me again in the early morning hours giving me the opportunity to end my early morning drives the way they began - I guess everything really does come full circle at times. I'm sure I will still have early mornings and I am excited to start new memories as I begin driving Chloe to school next year. But for now....I will enjoy my last few early morning drives with music, reflection, the occasional tears, and prayers.
Ff is for Friends and Families
I am so grateful for the many wonderful coworkers I have had that have turned into such great friends. Some even feel like family I am grateful for the many families I have encountered along the way. I love keeping up with them throughout the years and even developing friendships with some of them as well. Grateful for the friendships I have watched bloom and grow within the walls of my classrooms with students. When you work among friends that feel like family every day can be amazing!
Gg is for Gifts, Growth, my Girls, and Graduation.
Gifts - to be able to work with children and families is like opening a gift. Children are gifts to this earth and to be able to be entrusted to help them learn to be good little humans is truly a blessing.
Growth - as a teacher your job is to help kids grow academically and socially so they can gain independence. We are also given opportunities for growth. We have professional development, time with our teams, attend trainings and more. Truth is, I think we learn the most from the experiences we get with the children in our classrooms and also when we have real conversations with coworkers about what we are doing, what we could change, what is working, what is not, etc.
Girls - being able to be at the same elementary school (or close by) with my girls has been amazing. Being able to see them walking down the hall, be there for celebrations, stop by for the occasional lunch, and start and end each day with them at school are memories I will truly cherish. I even got to be Chloe’s 2nd grade teacher during the Covid times.
Graduation - it is surreal to see children you taught in elementary school become graduates, grow up and have families of their own. I consider myself so lucky to be able to keep up with so many of them or their families still. It’s a little ironic that my last year will also be Rileigh’s last year as she walks across the stage as our graduate.
Hh is for Hats
Teachers and school staff wear many hats throughout their careers. We are educators, life coaches, second parents, motivators, boundary providers, safe places, safe keepers, cheerleaders, mediators, rule enforcers, referees, nose wipers, Band-Aid and cold paper towel givers, schedulers, classroom managers, multitaskers, planners, decorators, classroom library builders, detectives, role models, counselors, lifelong learners, handwriting specialists, problem solvers, organizers, paper copiers, laminating pros, authors, illustrators, storytellers, dream builders, reality checkers, interpreters, creative thinkers and doers, curriculum specialists, bridge builders, collaborators and so much more. So…if you work with children in any way- Thank you for the many hats you wear each day. Everything you do and the hours you spend making a difference in someone’s life is appreciated.
Ii is for Integrity, Ideas, Independence, and Identity.
Integrity - helping little ones understand the importance of making good choices, even when nobody is looking or watching.
Ideas - these come and go, ideas of things to do, things to create, things to try, trust your Instinct…especially if you know your kiddos.
Independence - another important skill we can start teaching early. There are so many ways to help children become independent learners and thinkers. If we always do it for them, they never get the chance to learn what it feels like to accomplish it on their own or at least try. I’m not saying don’t help when needed, but don’t always jump in quickly to do it for them. Scaffold support and create opportunities where independence can grow.
Identity - my ultimate identity is being a child of God and that I know and will always be without a doubt. But I have also known myself as a teacher for so long now that it will be interesting to see what lies ahead and who I will become in this next chapter.
Jj is for Joy, Journey, and Jesus.
This journey is filled with ups and downs, happy times, frustrating moments, ah-ha moments, and all the emotions. Finding Joy in the Journey is what keeps us going. The way it feels when a student learns how to communicate for the first time, the peace when a child is able to self-regulate on their own, the smile that a child has when something they are learning clicks, the warm feeling in your heart when you see friends being made or working something out. There is even joy in the hard times, because it’s an opportunity to learn and grow.
Jesus - I know I can’t talk about Him and the amazing things He provides and the love and grace that He gives us each day with students in public school. But, I can pray for my students and their families, I can pray for the people I work with and for people that are helping little ones and older ones grow each day. I can give grace to others as they learn and make mistakes. I can find Joy in the Journey that I have been on and keep searching for Joy in the Journey that is ahead of me.
Kk is for Kindness.
Teaching and modeling kindness is probably one of the most important things we can do for kids. Children often learn by watching and imitating the adults in their lives. So, if they see anger, hear hurtful words, or blaming or shaming more than they hear, see or feel kindness - then all of that begins to grow inside them and they grow up thinking that acting that way is okay. We also never know what some kids have gone through before walking into our classroom, which is why greeting them with a kind word and a smile might just make a difference for them.
Imagine a world where everyone is kind. That doesn’t mean everyone has to agree or believe the same things, but we can try to respond with kindness instead of using words or actions that could hurt others. We don’t know what others are going through. Even someone that appears to be happy could be going through something nobody knows about…so kindness matters. The book and movie, Wonder, does an amazing job showing why kindness matters. There are so many great books about kindness…one that I use all the time is about being a Bucket Filler. So…today, try to fill someone’s bucket with kindness. Be kind If anyone ever needs a recommendation on a children’s book or lesson that helps with teaching kindness, let me know.
LL is for Love
Loving what you do each day is truly a gift. There are so many people that do not enjoy going to their job each day…it is just something they have to do. I can honestly say there haven’t been many days in the past 28 years where I haven’t loved being at work. Yes, there have been people that make it easy or hard at times, but if we remember the reason why we are there and who we are there for, then it makes the good outweigh any of the bad. I know that I am Lucky to have Loved what I have done for 28 years, which is what makes it hard to say goodbye, but new chapters will bring new opportunities to share His love with others and keep loving what I do.
Let all that you do be done in Love. 1 Corinthians 16:14
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as if working for the Lord… Colossians 3:23
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10
Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18
Mm is for Moments and Memories.
There are so many memories I have had of small moments, funny moments, big moments, heartbreaking moments, ah-ha moments, heartfelt moments and more. Here are just a few that come to mind…
THE FARMERS - 2 sweet boys in my 1st grade class told me that they didn’t need to learn how to read because they were going to be farmers. That turned into a conversation about equipment they could possibly fix on their own to save money if they could read complex directions and parts or crops they could watch bloom and grow if they could read instructions and research that could help them. Both boys couldn’t wait to learn how to read after that!
THE PROTECTOR - During a lockdown, I saw one student become upset. Another student quietly whispered to her, “Our teacher loves us and isn’t going to let anything happen to us.”
THE WEDDING - The honor of having 2 students be a part of our wedding…one as our flowergirl and one that sang.
THE FAIR - Field trips to the fair. So many memories there!!!
THE ENVIRONMENTAL PRINT READER - The time when a nonverbal student found his voice through reading environmental print as he matched words to commercials he had seen or heard. “Ziplock - I’m a big kid now - Captain D’s $2.99 each - One call, that’s all.
THE POOPER - Another student learning how to use the bathroom independently - popping his head from around the bathroom curtain and saying “Ooooh, Ms. Sommer…I done $&it” with the biggest smile on his face.
THE PERFORMANCE - The many talents and gifts of children shining through a classroom end of the year musical showcase of what they learned about school, social skills, communication, and independence.
THE NASCAR FAN - Watching a child show his amazing math skills when we used nascar numbers and drivers when we discovered that was something he loved.
THE SPORKY - Sporky! The 1st grader who hated writing with a passion, but loved Sporky. So, we turned our writing adventures into something that would involve Sporky.
THE CUP OF YELLOW - When a student let me know it was time for some highlights when she was sad that she had to use more brown for my hair than yellow when she drew a picture of me. She said I needed at least a cup of yellow put in my hair.
THE BIRTHDAY TRIP - An amazing trip to the mountains with first grade friends the weekend the world shut down due to Covid.
THE LITERACY BREAKTHROUGHS - Seeing things come together for students struggling with literacy skills.
THE HOUSE CENTER - The many memories of hearing kids turn into their parents or repeat something they had watched on tv in the house center (bad words and all )
THE TIME HE TOOK A BITE OF THE SPONGE - Students were pretending to have a birthday party and used the Scrub Mommy sponge as the cake. However, things got a little heated when someone actually took a bite of the cake.
THE MICROWABE - Making a microwave out of a box for a student and watching his face light up…”It’s a micowabe!” It was pure joy and he showed it to everyone he could.
THE GREETING - Saying good morning to a student…and hearing a string of some not so nice words come back at me and still just smiling at student, and later being able to greet student and all is good after trust was built
THE LOVE - The love I've felt from hundreds of students and their siblings along the way. Seeing a child run to give you a hug—or run to get one. The smiles, the excitement, the little notes, the drawings, the “I love yous,” and all the countless ways children have shown me that the relationships we build matter.
There are so many more special moments and memories with so many kids, parents, siblings, and coworkers. My heart is forever full.
Nn is for New things and Neurodiversity and Neurodivergence.
New Things - trying something new is great! Either it works or it doesn’t. If it doesn’t, it becomes a learning opportunity and helps us grow. Doing something new for yourself or for a student can be scary or exciting…but if we don’t ever try, then we might not discover something that ends up helping.
Neurodivergence and Neurodiversity - the brain and all the things that make a person who they are have always fascinated me. I love trying to find what kiddos' interests are, what makes them smile, and what helps things stick. Appreciating and trying to be understanding is where we can start.
Oo is for Opportunities and being Optimistic.
Opportunities greet you each day as you wake up and are all around each day. Opportunities to be kind, opportunities to help someone, opportunities to make choices, etc. When you are a teacher of any kind or work with children, each child that walks through your door is an opportunity - an opportunity to love, an opportunity to teach, an opportunity to make a difference. Take each day as an opportunity to be a better version of yourself than the day before - an opportunity to be kind - an opportunity to look around and see the good - opportunities to grow.
Being optimistic isn’t always easy as worry, anxieties, and the troubles of life and this world are all around trying to take over every moment of everyday life. Being optimistic isn’t escaping reality or living in a dream world full of skittles and rainbows…it’s a choice to try to focus on what is good in a situation or how to learn from something that is difficult or hard. If you always look for the bad or see things in a negative way- you will always find it and sometimes it's easy to become that. Being optimistic and looking for the good might be more difficult to do, but it sure is a nicer place to be. See things as they are, but take the opportunity see what it could be
Pp is for People, Patience, Perseverance, and Puzzle
People…so thankful for the many wonderful people I have met along this journey.
Patience…it’s not how long you wait, it is how you act while you wait.
Perseverance…keep going, don’t give up.
Puzzle…each person, celebration, experience, and difficulty is part of your puzzle.
Qq is for Quality, Questions, Quiet, and Quotes.
Quality teaching and learning usually isn’t quiet. It’s children asking questions, talking, moving, collaborating, getting to know each other, making connections, problem solving, thinking out loud, experimenting, trying things out, making mistakes, trying again and more.
Quotes…so many great quotes…
If it doesn’t make the word a better place, don’t do it - Kid President
I’ve learned that people will forget what you said,people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel - Maya Angelou
Every child needs a champion, someone that will never give up on them - Rita Pierson
A good teacher is like a candle - it consumes itself to light the way for others - unknown
Rr is for Read Alouds.
One of my most favorite things to do is to read books aloud to children. Read Alouds are one the best ways to teach just about anything (in my opinion). There are so many lessons just waiting in a book: life lessons, vocabulary, specific skills, problem solving and more. It is a way to get kids excited about learning. A way to explore something they have never experienced. A way to build relationships. A way to interact with kiddos and help them see that learning can be magical.
Rr is also for relationships…the most important thing you can build with your students, families and coworkers.
Ss is for School, Students, Staff, and Special Education.
School - I have spent 45 years of my life walking into school buildings—as a student for 13 years, a college student for 4 years, and an educator for 28 years. Many weekends and afternoons/evenings were spent at colleges or classrooms for grad school and other certifications along the way. I have walked into a school every school year since I was just a few weeks away from turning 5 years old. Here are my schools as an educator:
Gilbert Elementary - kindergarten
H.E Corley Elementary - 3rd and preschool sped
Pelion Elementary - kindergarten, 1st
Congaree Wood Early Childhood - kinder/1st grade sped, preschool sped
Meadow Glen Elementary- 1st, 2nd, Literacy Coach
ATLAS - 4K and 5K behavior teacher
Students - Every student leaves a little piece of them with you.
Staff - People that work in a school are truly some of the most caring and hard working people I know. The old saying “it takes a village” is evident in school staff as everyone pitches in to take care of the students and each other. Custodians, Instructional Assistants, Lunch Room staff, office staff, administrators, nurses, librarians, related arts, interventionists, counselors, OTs, PTs, therapists and coaches- you are appreciated and make a difference.
Special Education -I didn’t get my original degree in special education as being a special education teacher never really crossed my mind in college because I knew I wanted to just work with the littles so I went the early childhood route. However, I quickly learned that my heart was in special education upon being introduced to a preschool sped class. Best decision ever!
Tt is for Therapy Dog
Today’s post is more about what the future holds instead of reflecting back on teaching.
From the moment we got Ellie, we knew there was just something about her that made her special - she has always been so sweet and honestly acts more human like than dog like. She gives the best hugs and is a great listener. I am excited to say that she and I are now a certified THERAPY TEAM. So here’s to our future of trying to spread some joy and calmness to others. We hope to visit hospitals, therapy centers, schools, nursing homes, memory care centers…do read alouds together and more.
Uu is for Unique, Understanding, Unwavering, and the Unkown
Unique - everyone was created in their own special way. We all have something unique about us. Celebrate it!
Understand - we should strive to try to be understanding.
Unwavering - Don’t give up on your students or yourself. There will be many ups and downs along any journey - keep going, it’s worth it.
Unknown - walking into the unknown can be scary and exciting. The first day of school each year is filled with so many unknowns, our lives are full of unknowns, but we trust that we are right where we are supposed to be. So…here goes… putting my trust in Him.
Vv is for Vocabulary, Visitors, and Village
Vocabulary - I have learned so much about teaching vocabulary to kiddos. Whether it was teaching them to be able to learn and use new vocabulary to be able to label things and communicate verbally and non verbally when I was a special education teacher or working with students learning English as a second language OR using read alouds to teach and grow new vocabulary terms to students before, during or after a read aloud, OR modeling how to teach vocabulary as a literacy coach during school wide read alouds OR working alongside wonderful teachers as a thinking partner preparing lessons.
Visitors - so thankful for all of the special visitors we had come to our schools and my classrooms to read a book, teach, talk with, and love on our students. I look forward to visiting in the future.
Village - it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to continue learning, it takes a village to be able to do all the things, it takes a village to live this life. I am so very grateful for my village…I couldn’t have done any of this without you.
Ww is for Wonder, What if, and Why
Wonder - wonder has multiple meanings as I reflect. The wonder that you see in a student’s eyes as they take everything in. The wonder a teacher or anyone has about each day they face. The wonderful wonders that arise each and everyday. The wonders that surround us that God has created.
What if - this one is hard. The what ifs that constantly pop in your mind. What if I try this…what if it doesn’t work…what if it does work…what if they don’t like this…what if they do…what if I fail…what if I soar…
There are so many what ifs you can focus on and those what ifs can be looked at in various ways and can be exciting, but they can also be scary and can even take over. I have a lot of what ifs going on right now with all the changes happening in our lives with retirement, what’s next, Rileigh’s graduation, her future, how Chloe will feel when R leaves for college and more. But, I was reminded in my devotional this morning that through joy and also suffering, He is with us and guiding our every step to help us with the fears of what if. His plans are better than ours and He is in control.
Why - a word you constantly hear when you are around young children. It’s a great word and brings much reflection and learning. Sometimes the why can be answered and sometimes it can’t and that’s okay too. People are also often asked about their why…my why is because I want to love what I do, who I do it for, and who I do it with. Will it always be easy….no. Will it always be successful…who knows? Will it always be worth it…I sure hope so.
Xx is for eXtradordinary & eXperiences
eXtraordinary - an amazing feeling you can get when you love someone or something so much - thank you to all of the extraordinary children, families and people that have helped me, my students, and my own personal children along the way.
eXperiences - unforgettable moments, memories, and opportunities that have already happened and here’s to ones that are yet still to come.
Yy is for Yet & Yesterdays
Yet is a word full of power and promise. One of the first things I teach my students is to add the word “yet” when they say they can’t do something or they don’t know. I usually read the book Giraffes Can’t Dance and we talk about the things we can’t do yet. Yes, we talk about how even adults have lots of things they can’t do yet and that usually blows their minds. Yet gives hope to what you haven’t tried. Yet helps you get there. There are a lot of things we can’t do or don’t know how to do - places we haven’t visited - things we might be scared to try - but it doesn’t mean we won’t ever be able to do them, see them, go there or be brave enough to try. We just can’t yet or haven’t yet. I don’t know what the future holds, but maybe it will be the best yet.
Yesterdays are full of life lessons, joy, sadness, pain, struggles, love, memories we will cherish and memories we might like to forget. But yesterdays are a part of who we are and help shape us for what lies ahead in our tomorrows - our yet.
Here is to all of your yets.
Zz is for Zero, Zip & Zoom.
Zero… the number of days left until my last day being an educator in schools. Closing my classroom door today and walking out of ATLAS after packing up the car brought way more tears than I was ready for. It’s time to Zip it all up and Zoom on to what is next.
Twenty-eight years of a defined purpose is now complete. I’m closing one door and opening another, praying that the journey ahead brings more purpose, joy, growth, and opportunities to make a difference. Stay tuned for what’s next.