Throwback Thursday and a Freebie!!

So, I have officially been teaching for 15 years!! June 7th I completed my 15th year as an elementary school teacher. Wow, do I feel old! If  you would have asked me when I graduated from college 15 years ago: Where will you be?  I don't think I could have predicted my future. And to be honest, I wouldn't have wanted to know. The last 15 years have been full of love, laughter, kids and more!  I hope you don't mind but we are going to take a stroll down memory lane here for a minute (hehe). I'm linking up with Cara @ The First Grade Parade for a Throwback Thursday Linky Party!!

Well, as you can imagine, 15 years of teaching means A LOT of files, folders, books, games, puzzles etc... Since then I have moved schools 3 times. NYC to Long Island, LI to Florida, 1 Florida school gets closed so I am moved to another. In all those years, I've cleaned out but never really thrown anything away. I'm not a hoarder!! I promise. However, I have taught many grades and was always afraid that my  principal would ask me to go back and teach former grades. (I dread the question--really, I love teaching first grade and don't really want to go back to 3rd or 4th)

So needless to say, I felt it was time to clean out the closets and filing cabinets at the end of this year.
While I threw a lot out--we also had a "Supply Swap" in our school. People, Listen! This was a great idea, because then I knew all my stuff went to a good home. (Guess what, I have good stuff, because It was all gone from our supply swap table!)

When I began to work on my files, I came across a file that read:

Student phone #'s

When I opened it this is what I found!

My class list from 15 years ago!!! Who keeps this stuff?

My first class list ever!!! I even think it was typed on a type writer! LOL!

Can you believe I kept this after all these years? I've come full circle because my first year as a teacher was the only year that I taught 1st grade in New York-- with 32 kids!! How the heck did I do that?

This group of students is now 21 years old!!! Ahh! Now I really feel old.  I wonder where they are, what they are doing?  Would they remember me?  Would I remember them? I remember them as 6 year olds, but cannot even imagine what they will be like as adults. My hope and prayer for them is that they are happy, loved and well. I honestly don't remember too much of what I taught these 32 kids. I was only 22 and quite wet behind the ears. I had a lot to learn. But what I do remember is that I loved those kids as much as I loved each and every group since.  This class list reminds me of why I became a teacher and why I continue to do what I love!

Here's a little 4th of July freebie for all of my friends :0) Click the link or picture and it will take you to TpT to download the freebie.