The Beginning of the End

I just finished giving an AP Calculus test. It was business as usual until I realized that this was the last math test of their high school career. THIS WAS THE LAST TEST I'LL EVER GIVE THEM! And then I almost burst into tears.

Because I have given them ALL their math tests since 8th grade! I've been grading their work for FIVE years. And now I'll never grade their work again.

I'm gonna miss that. Even the ones with the horrible handwriting that I usually can't decipher. Even the ones that skip half the steps in their work. Even the ones that always forget to write their names. That part doesn't really matter anymore, because at this point, I don't need names to know whose work it is.

I've taught them for over half my teaching career. And now the only thing I have left to teach them is how to ace their AP exam.