Andalusia High School senior Ryan Mays said that yesterday, which was his last day to be a student teacher at Andalusia Elementary School, was bittersweet.

Mays decided to sign up for the class last year after remembering how influential student teachers were when he was in elementary school.

“Anybody that is not a freshman can take the class,” Mays said. “So I applied for it on my class registration sheet last year and Mrs. Spurlin signed me up for it. I remember being in elementary school and looking up to the student teachers. I kept hearing that it was pretty fun so I decided to do it.”

Mays, who was assigned to Dianne Chavers’ third grade class, said that the kids were the best part of it.

“Just walking in to the classroom and seeing those kids smile at you,” Mays said. “Or when they give you a high five, it is just great.”

For any students that want to join the class, Mays said to not be scared.

“I’m not going to lie, I was pretty nervous whenever I first started,” Mays said. “But once I got in a good rhythm of it, and knew what to do, I really wasn’t scared anymore. So, just go head first into it.”

Mays said that he is going to miss interacting with the kids the most.

“Just seeing the kids everyday is what I’m going to miss the most,” Mays said. “I would pretty much spend my day helping them with multiplication, spelling and any work that they had to do.”

After graduation, Mays plans to attend Troy University and pursue a  degree in broadcast journalism.

He is the son of Trece Mays.