Oh what a wonderful day I’ve had, however bittersweet.

I’m amazed at the bond that children form with their teachers in such a short space of time. Several of my littlies have been devastated by my departure today and although I know that when the next student comes along they will form equally strong bonds and they will forget me in an instant, I have again been humbled by the experience.

What this brings home to me is the weight of the burden of responsibility for them. They place their trust in you absolutely and that means you have to deliver a range of things to them with complete consistency and equity. In no particular order and by no means a comprehensive list, you have to be the: deliverers of knowledge; guardian angel; in loco parentis; role model; and perhaps most exciting of all is you are responsible for lighting the fire of curiosity and learning. Wow – it’s no wonder that so many teachers feel stressed and burdened.

My journey with these children ended with a bang – I’ve been teaching them how to make explosions today (don’t worry, only the most benign of explosions) and the image of their faces as the chemical reaction occurred will be a memory I will hold dear for ever.

This school placement has been utterly exhausting and as hard a struggle as I can remember in a long, long time but it is also an experience I will cherish for the rest of my life. I’ve been with a group of amazing children for just six short weeks, many battling with a range of challenges across all elements of their lives and I’ve loved every moment, even if that love was as tough a love as you could imagine.