It’s almost exactly five years since I met a class of nervous looking Y6 pupils and told them that they were going to be a brilliant form group. It’s also five years since that very same group of nervous looking students stared at me as if I was a madwoman.
Where did those five years go? We’ve spent some time looking backwards over the last couple of days: photos of sports days and Christmas parties; a group shot of us all standing in the mist at the top of Mam Tor (sadly no view to reward us for reaching the summit); pictures of faces being painted and carnival outfits being modelled; memories of school trips to Whirlow Hall Farm and Flamingoland.
Today it was time to say goodbye. The first exam is tomorrow, study leave is about to commence. Today there was laughter, singing and dancing, but there were also plenty of tears, some of them mine. There were photos taken (hurrah – by now my picture will be all over FaceBook), moving messages written in leaving books and rude messages written on old school shirts.
We may have said goodbye, but the fat lady isn’t singing quite yet: there’s the small matter of a final big day out at Alton Towers (weather forecast: abysmal), then revision lessons, exams, the obligatory Prom and results day. But for me, today really marks the end, the last time that we were together as a class.
It’s the first time I’ve taken a form group through from Y7 to Y11. They’ve been fantastic and I’m going to miss them.
Still, there is fun going forward. I meet my new class (who are a little older than Y7) next week. So I suppose it’s not the end really, just a new beginning.
Exactly. “fun going forward” is not the same as “don’t look back”.