A few more hours and I send those sweet second graders home for the summer. They’ve been my favorite class — that’s out of 24 years of teaching! We’ve had so much fun together, but the real delight for me was watching them turn into passionate readers. One day the spark happened, and they all decided that they were “READERS.” We’ve shared many books since that moment!
My end-of-the-year gift from their parents is a gift card for the local bookstore (a sizeable amount!) so that I can expand the class library! And yesterday the kids generated a wishlist of books for me to purchase. We’re hoping to spark next year’s second graders so that they can also discover the pleasures of reading!
A Fondness For Reading 
Just every now and again you get a class that you really ‘gel’ with and the year is like a dream. For me it was a Year Six group of 10 and 11 year olds. We had the most wonderful year growing both as readers and writers. It still warms my heart to think of them. I hope you are lucky and get another wonderful group next year as well.
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Oh – it sounds like you have ended the year on a wonderful note!
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What a lovely gift. And, Robin, you have a lovely summer resting up for next year’s class of 2nd graders to spark! LOL
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You have reminded me of my spark in 2nd grade when I felt that I had finally learned to read!!
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Ooooh, this is such a lovely post. If I ever get around to taking another degree, I want to get it in Reading.
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This just put such a huge smile on my face, Robin 🙂 This is so awesome!!! Glad you had such a wonderful class this year and I’m glad that they had you!
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I babysit a 7 year old and I feel sure she should be a reader, she LOVES stories so much, but I haven’t been able to find the right book to spark her enthusiasm and make her want to read more on her own. Is there any chance you could pass on some of the titles of books your second graders have enjoyed? I’m not pushing her in anyway, but she’s a little behind the others in her reading and just needs to find the right books. Cheers, Michelle mich03@pacific.net.au
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It makes me very proud to read your blog. The students and the families will be grateful forever for what you have given them—the gift of reading and pleasure in learning that will last through a life time. That spark gets brighter and brighter.
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How exciting that must have been for you when you saw that little spark light up their eyes!! Love this post. Have fun with your gift card!
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Hope your summer break brings you much peace, rest and time for reading. What a lovely way to end the school year – enjoy shopping.
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Thanks, Study Window! The “gel” factor was definitely there with this sweet little class. Thinking of them will warm my heart for a long time to come.
Molly, it was a fun year. However, I’m tired now! You know… it takes a little while to recover.
Thanks, Kay!
Tabor, it really is the most exciting thing about teaching 2nd grade … seeing the delight when the kids realize they are readers now.
Bybee, me too! It sounds crazy for me to say, but it would be so much fun to go through a degree program in Reading.
Thanks, Chris!
Michelle, I’ll email you a list of the books we shared this year in my class. Keep reading to her…that’s the most powerful teaching tool I have found in 24 years of teaching. The spark will happen at exactly the right time for her.
Thanks, Mom!!
Nancy, I kept telling the kids this year that I wished I had a camera on my shoulder so I could take a photo of their faces as I read different stories to them. It was magic happening.
Thanks, Tamara!
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This is probably weird, since it’s a year later, but I just used that picture as the header image for my new new blog, BookSpark! I just noticed you having it too lol!
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