El fin.

The semester is over, hallelujah! Well technically, I finished my last final at 11:47 yesterday morning. But today was my favorite day of my last week - my "kindergarten final." We baked bread in the shape of teddy bears and the kids got to sing christmas songs and have a little party while they ate their bread. It was so precious - they were so excited and so proud of themselves for making their own bear bread. Everyone, even the kids that struggle, worked really hard on designing their bears and they all came out fantastically. It was a really neat experience to be a part of; it really enforced how much kids can get out of using different mediums in the classroom. They adored getting to sing songs with each other and making bread was something many of them had never experienced before. The classroom mom brought a present for Mrs. Brasler and one for me too - it was so sweet and thoughtful. I drove home feeling so blessed to have the opportunity to spend as much time in this class as I do.

Mrs. Brasler always thanks me profusely for helping in the classroom - but every day I feel that I am the one who owes her thanks.  How lucky am I to get the ultimate learning experience for my future profession? Not a day goes by that I don't value the 4 hours a week I spend in that room with her vast knowledge of education and those 27 young minds that are so eager to learn. I'm overcome with the feeling that I'm learning so much now that I don't even know is important yet. But I can't help but think years down the road - this will be cited as my single most valuable learning experience for my future career.  I can't wait until I bump up to 8 hours a week next semester.

In other news, I'm so excited to go home. Sleeping in my bed, having time to work out, not worrying about homework, seeing the people who mean the most to me, celebrating the holidays with my family, having more hours in the day with which I can do whatever I please. Beautiful. :) I absolutely cannot wait.