My lesson plans are filled with reflection activities as I try to guide my almost middle schoolers to think about what they have learned over the course of their elementary year. We are asking questions like, “What did you learn that you will always remember? What advice do you have for the rising 5th graders? What do you hope middle school will bring?”
Granted these aren’t easy questions for adults, but this is my favorite kind of work with young minds because their answers are always creative and deeply insightful. “Be careful who you listen to…people be capping. The teachers might seem strict and they are, but it’s really because they want you to do your best.”
Sometimes we get so caught up in life that we forget to take the time to stop and reflect on where we have been. As we get older, we don’t have graduations or bridge ceremonies that cause us to pause. In our rush to move on to the next thing and make sure our to do list is checked off, we miss the chance to think bout how we have grown and changed.
As we looked back at beginning of the year pictures, my students couldn’t help but laugh. “I look like a baby!” It’s something about 5th grade where the changes are stark and even more noticeable than other years. These students came to me looking like elementary school students and now they look grown. They are forming their identities, their values, and their own pathways.
They are becoming themselves.
And we who stand and witness their journeys are invited to do the same. We are not who we used to be at the beginning of this school year or fiscal year or however you want to measure time passing. We are in the midst of becoming. We are not done growing or learning or hoping or changing. We are right here in the midst of the miraculous transformation.