Today was 8th grade promotion parade and I didn’t take a single picture. I did, however, snag a screenshot of a friend’s video for this blog post after the day was over. My district does promotion parades for all the 8th grade promotions since the pandemic. Families drive up to a red carpet and I get to call their names and they hop out to shake hands with our principal and receive their certificate. They then greet all the 8th grade teachers and take pictures at a photo booth before hopping back in the car. It’s such a special day. There are so many mental images that I will remember even though I didn’t take any pictures.
I will remember how grown up all my students looked in their drip (I think I used that right… I’m sure there is an 8th grader cringing at my use of that word that is translated into fancy outfit).
I will remember that last final hug with my 3 lunch bunch students. We spent many lunches together talking about life and books.
I will remember how I teared up when I saw one of our student council students start to cry. Oh how that student grew into such an amazing leader! I’ve known that student since 2nd grade at my old school.
I will remember being laughing as one of our students rolled up to the promotion parade with a motorcycle gang! And I thought where is the student?? Oh he was driving one of the bikes into the parking lot. I’m assuming he did not drive it home!
I will remember the kindness of a parent that brought us all ice cold tea and Gatorade after standing outside for an hour in the hot sun.
I will remember thinking about how quickly time flies. How quickly, these students walked into my life as 6th graders and are already going off to high school. In 4 short years, I will see them before the promotion parade as they do their Senior Walk through our school.
I will remember the 5th graders cheering on the 8th graders as they promoted knowing that my own son is in that class and will soon be moving to middle school.
I will remember the 7th graders helping us clean up the decorations and asking us what the theme will be for their promotion parade as they deflated alien balloons. This year’s theme was Men in Black. We told them they get to vote as a class what their theme will be.
I will remember learning the stories of these students names as I practiced pronouncing them for the parade. I love name stories. If you have time, ask your students where their name comes from. It’s a great way to get to know them.
I will remember the feeling of being done starting to clean my room to prepare for next year.
How special it is to be a teacher. To get to impact the lives of 92 8th graders and allowing them to make an impact on your life. How special it is to watch them learn and grow into mini adults. (They aren’t completely there yet… otherwise I wouldn’t be cleaning marker stains from my wall as part of my clean up!) Each day when the bell rings, I would tell my classes, “Love you, have a great day, see you tomorrow!” And it’s true. I love these kids. And that’s what I’ll remember the most. How much I love these students.
Sara Mora
Sara Mora has been living her dream of being a teacher for the last 12 years. She studied Elementary Education at the University of Arizona and was selected as a Rodel Oustanding Student Teacher. Sara taught 1st grade in Nogales for 3 years before moving to 2nd grade in the Sahuarita Unified School District to be closer to home. In 2017, she obtained her Master’s in Educational Technology from Northern Arizona University. This degree opened the door for her to move into a brand new position at the newest K-8 in Sahuarita. Sara was tasked with designing and implementing a middle school Career and Technical Education program geared towards college and career exploration. And though not required, Sara worked towards getting certified in Career and Technical Education so that she could do justice to her position. After her first year in this position, she was selected as an Arizona Education Foundation Ambassador of Excellence Teacher of the Year for 2021. When she’s not teaching, she’s advising her Video Production Club and facilitating Technology Professional Development for her district. In her spare time, Sara also works as a health coach, enjoys volunteering her tech skills at church, traveling with her husband and son, reading, and making Tik Tok videos.