My heart sang!

Today I join my fellow bloggers in "serving up a slice" to the Tuesday Slice of Life sponsored by Stacey and Ruth from Two Writing Teachers. 

Last week was a busy one.  My students revised their personal narratives based on formative feedback from the rubric and my comments.  We revisited favorite mentor texts to examine powerful leads and endings.  Everyone wrote a new beginning and a new ending.
Then it was back to the computer lab for a 4th draft amid groans from my students asking, "Isn't this our final copy?"  One teacher and 29 students in a computer lab - this is the time I long for the ability to clone myself.  I learned long ago to have students list their names on the board when they want my help.
I worked quickly through the never ending list of student names.  Most of the questions centered around computer issues and earlier drafts that had mysteriously disappeared from the flash drive or Schoology file.  I had little time to provide real student feedback.   Usually it was a quick glance to check the formatting before I gave them the nod that it was okay to print.  Occasionally I scanned a beginning or ending and gave a quick comment.
On Thursday, I read an ending that filled me with delight and brought tears to my eyes.  I turned to the student, "You nailed it!"  We high fived as my heart sang!  With his permission, I'm sharing this powerful ending to his story detailing the arrival of Joy, a new kitten, in his family.
"As night crept upon us, we all gathered on the couch like exhausted little monkeys.  We ate cookies in the nighttime silence.  The only thing we heard was cookies crumbling and the soft purr from Joy."
I want more moments like this, but for now I'll savor this moment when the stars aligned and one of my students got it!