I distinctly remember telling Alison that, if anyone was going to cry this time around, it would be her. And sure enough, I was right.
Maybe a little context would be helpful.
You see, five weeks ago, a student teacher was due to arrive in our classroom, and I was preparing the students for the experience, just to make sure everyone was, well, familiar with the playbook, so to speak. That’s when Alison told me that, the last time they had hosted a supply teacher, they made her cry.
Don’t get me wrong, I like Alison a lot. But that like doesn’t extend to serving up a free pass to making student teachers cry, so I issued my directive, that there would be no crying, particularly student-engineered crying on the part of my new student teacher.
I needn’t have worried.
Amanda Hoare is a graduate of St. Joseph’s Catholic High School, and her appearance in my classroom was a homecoming of sorts, in that she was familiar with the staff, and with most of the building. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that she’s going to be effective in the classroom. Well, after five weeks of careful observation, coupled with extensive reflection, I’ve arrived at the only possible conclusion.
She is.
We, the students of 8C and myself, wish to thank Amanda for her hard work over these past five weeks, and to further thank her for her good humour, and the wonderful disposition that she brings to every activity that she’s a part of. The students thrived under her leadership, and quite frankly, were sorry to see her placement come to an end.
And so there was some crying at the end. And it was Alison, among others, doing it. But this time around, it was good crying. The kind you get when people care about stuff, or even better, other people.
Good luck Miss Hoare. You’ve made many friends here, and we wish you all the best.
