Today happens to be the final day of exams at Apple Hills Academy. As the assistant teacher to the kids in the second grade, I was really happy I could finally get some rest from the stress that comes with being a tutor and sad that this might be the last time I'll be sharing a class with these kids because they will be getting a promotion the next term. As I watched them trying to fill out their answer booklets, I realized I was truly going to miss seeing their cute little faces despite how troublesome some of them are.
Determined to make my last few moments with them count as this might also be my last term being a staff at the school, I made out plans to engage in fun activities with the kids before they all dispersed to their respective homes.
After they were all done with the last exams, the first activity we indulged in was a healthy mini competition between the boys and girls to spice things off a bit. I initially planned on starting things with a quiz but ditched the idea at the last minute as I felt the kids were already stressed out already from the exams so we just settled for a game of "sketch recall" where the kids had to stare at an image for a bit before trying to reproduce it on a clean board.
The moment the game kicked off, I noticed the girls were at a huge disadvantage as a vast majority could barely draw but as the game persisted towards the final phase, the girls showed more gusto becoming the undisputed winners by just a single point. The original reward for the game was that I promised the winners of this gender competition an hour at the playground while losers have to sit in class until their parents or guardians come to pick them up. This was just a ruse to motivate everybody to participate and give it their all.
The game lasted for about 27 minutes and after the final results I could tell some of the boys were almost at the brink of tears as they really wanted to play on the swing. The moment I told them we were all going together, they all jumped to their feet urging me to hurry up so that they can have as much fun as possible before their parents show up.
When we got to the playground, they all separated to the play stations they each loved best. Some of them wanted to try the swing first, others the slides but most of them wanted to spend their time outside solely on the bounce castle. I wanted to allow them to enjoy themselves as much as possible but knowing kids and their love for trouble, I decided to pay keen attention to everything they were doing to avoid unnecessary fighting or injuries.
They laughed, smiled, jumped, struggled, had as much fun as possible and when it was almost time for their closing bell, I took them back to their class, allowed them to rest a bit before prepping them up for their pick up. School closed by 1 PM today and for the first time since I became a teacher, I didn't want the day to end. It was really an exciting experience, a fun memory I will cherish of my kids for years to come.
Thank you all.
PS All pictures belong to mf
