Yesterday, the air in my room crackled with second last day of school energy. My sixth graders were supposed to be quietly working on a task while I called students from each table group to clean and empty their lockers.
J was having a hard time. He alternated between perching on his chair with his knees tucked inside his shirt making silly noises and wandering the room. Incredibly bright, he has some behavioral issues. After redirecting him several times, I was feeling a little frazzled. I walked up to where he was standing (on the other side of the room from where he was supposed to be) and noticed that I had to look up at him. He’d gotten tall over the last year. Sixth graders do that.
“J, you seem really anxious and energized,” I commented in a positive tone of voice. “How are you feeling?”
“I don’t want school to be over.” His reply left me gobsmacked.
“What can I do to help?” I asked.
“Give me summer school,” he replied. I laughed.
“I can’t give you summer school. What can I do to help you right now?” I asked, still chuckling. “You seem to have a lot of energy”
“I don’t know,” he replied bouncing on the balls of his feet.
And then I had a brilliant idea. A Spanish textbook had been sitting in the locker room for a few days. I could send it to the library with J.
“I have an idea,” I said and offered him the book.
He placed it on his head and slowly glided towards the door.
booksandbassets 
I always forget, in those crazy last few weeks, how much some kids depend on school, and on us, for stability, and security, and love. J is lucky to have a teacher like you!
Gobsmacked — you and J, both — and sometimes that unsettling feeling is best dispersed with a walk 🙂
Summer is unsettling for so many with the change (or lack of) routines. I hope he finds a way to get what he needs this summer. Great that you were able to give him what he needed at that moment.
A great way to redirect energy. You both benefited from this. I remember how harrowing those last days of school can be for teachers and students alike.
Great idea! I used to have a student who went on regular trips to the office for a “piece of tape”. The secretary came and told me I could have a whole roll. I said, “I don’t need a roll of tape. I need G to take a walk!”