I officially completed my classroom reschooling today, almost four months exactly after I began August 20th. I’m glad that I decided to spend a week tracing my way back through the grades. It felt good today to see all the kids I’ve connected with over the fall and revisit the school spaces. I spent yesterday with the fifth, fourth, and third graders and today with the second and first graders, ending with kindergarten at the very end of the day. Coming back to where I started gave me a strong sense of closure. I’ll write a longer post soon about my last week of reschooling and how it all feels. At the moment I’m running out the door to various appointments and holiday parties — onto the next thing right away as usual!
In the next few weeks I’ll be doing the following:
- Sharing stories that haven’t made it into the blog yet
- Sorting through old journal entries, photos, and other keepsakes
- Clearing major clutter and preparing to spend the spring in Mississippi
- Reflecting on overall lessons learned and personal progress during the fall reschooling
- Making plans for the spring, including what I want to learn and how to proceed with writing the book
As with the end of the college phase, my brain is brimming with information, images, and ideas. It’s so overwhelming that I feel like I need to zone out watching some awful reality TV just to let it all sink in. Maybe when I get home tonight, I’ll fashion myself a homemade diploma with Crayolas and construction paper, so I can make my graduation official.