Bookends…they serve as pillars of support, protecting each book of precious pages.
Staring at my own bookends on a shelf, I realize they provide a metaphor for my Trinity journey.
I cut my teeth in education with a Trinity three-old class in 2004. How blessed I am to return to this school in 2012 and find myself teaching those same students, now in the Sixth Grade. I feel like those bookends on my shelf!
Many observations enter my min
d working with these kids the second time around. Those special Trinity cobalt blue shoulder bags were replaced with cobalt blue shirts and fleece jackets. The sprint down the ELD ramp is now a drag of a rolling backpack. At 8:10am, instead of “Criss-cross applesauce,” I now say “Please close your Macbooks.”
More than superficial changes, it is the volumes of stories that comprise their time between then and now that make me so proud to be their bookends. By Sixth Grade, they have experiences that span the countries they represented in their Pre-K Olympics to their role in Fifth Grade’s Nutcracker performance. One chapter includes their 100th Day of School in Kindergarten, while another features the Wagon Train in Fourth Grade.
As an assistant, I have supported both students and teachers alike in creating their stories. Trinity faculty provides enriching educational experiences that fill the pages. It is an honor to serve among them as a bookend for the Trinity class of 2013.
Learner, Thinker, Writer: Rebecca Stewart is an assistant in Sixth Grade at Trinity School.
Rebecca, I love the metaphor of bookends and the fortunate position you have this year to see the children from their beginnings to their final days at Trinity School. One of the favorite parts of my work is the ability to watch children grow and change in confidence, skill, and personality from Second to Sixth Grade.
Wow – I did not realize that this was your first class! Wonderful metaphor! you painted a great picture with the description of the blue bags and the MAC books. How fortunate they must feel to have you as a part of their final year at Trinity.
Watching kids learn and grow as students within the span of one school year is amazing. I can’t even think of the changes you’ve witnessed in your unique position. Beautifully expressed!
What an incredible post, Rebecca! I absolutely love the photo and how it fits so perfectly with your message! Awesome!!