Flying First Class
It's hard to believe that my first class, the Fourth Grade Flyers, has graduated from 8th grade. With such a grand occasion and school in Denver out just in time, a road trip was in order.
On June 1st, Sarah and I checked out at school and headed west. We spent the night in Las Vegas and had a great time visiting with my Uncle Don, Aunt Diane, and cousin Heather. The next day we rolled into the City of Angels. After a visit to the magnificent cathedral, we stopped by my old school and were informed that the Flyers were finishing up a retreat. We rushed over to the retreat center just in time for Mass. Their parents were waiting for the students in the chapel, so our timing was perfect for a grand entrance. It was great to surprise most of the parents and students.
...with Annabelle. Their Class of '09 shirts had "Look at the Stars, Look
how they shine for you" at the bottom... the opening lyrics to our Flyer
class song - "Yellow" of course.
how they shine for you" at the bottom... the opening lyrics to our Flyer
class song - "Yellow" of course.
Then and now. Of the 22 graduates, 17 were part of the original 32 Flyers.
I have to admit that it was a pretty emotional event. Tough to hold back the tears when Yellow was played during Mass. I don't think they knew at the time that it my first year of teaching. I was fresh out of a number-crunching office job and felt like I had no clue what I was doing. (Probably because I didn't!) I remember sitting in my classroom a week before school started staring at a sea of textbooks and curriculum and thinking, "What have I gotten myself into?!"
As it turned out, I fell in love with 32 nine-year-olds and fell in love with teaching. At the year-end picnic, they asked me if they could bring water guns. Sure, why not (not knowing it was against both school and park rules). Apparently they caused quite a mess at the fill-up station in the bathroom, and a park employee was looking for a responsible adult. Soaking wet and firing away from inside the playground equipment, I pulled my gun down when she approached me and yelled, "WHERE IS YOUR TEACHER?!" Um. Interestingly enough... I am the teacher. Oops.
I can't thank you enough Flyers! You will always hold a special place in my heart. Best wishes in high school, and BE YELLOW... the Light-of-the-World variety of course, not cowardly.
I can't thank you enough Flyers! You will always hold a special place in my heart. Best wishes in high school, and BE YELLOW... the Light-of-the-World variety of course, not cowardly.
so beautiful ryan!! thank you so much for sharing this with us... simply awesome to see their joy and the way that you have touched their lives forever. keep up the good work!!!
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hey MR.O'Connor love the article i miss being in your class it was so much fun and now that it is summer i want it to end so i can see you again thanks for the great year in fourth grade xoxoxoxo forever and always a fourth grade eagle mia
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