Year Three

I know this is so cliche to say, but it really is hard to believe this school year is over; though at times it seemed like the end would never come, it really has flown by. Complete with Hurricane Ike and flooding and mandatory after school tutorials to catch up from Ike and the district monitoring our every move because our state accountability rating and teaching my first group of ESL students, it's been a year. Hard at times (especially compared to last year), but good. I learned SO much about kids and reading and writing and about teaching this year--I'm just hoping my kids learned as much from me as I did from them. Cliche again, but I really do mean it.

I don't even remember the last day of school of my first year of teaching really--I was just so ready to get the heck out of that school that I think I was already checked out. Last year, I loved the kids but was so frustrated with their lack of focus, willingness to work that last week of school that I was kinda ready to see them leave on that last day. This year though, I learned my lesson, and decided to just go with the flow. I kept teaching until yesterday, but was reasonable about it, anticipating they'd be antsy to be out of school, especially knowing grades were already turned in, and just had fun with them, not letting myself get frustrated with them if they weren't working quite as hard during the last week of school as they had during the rest of the year. And as they left my classroom for the last time yesterday, I truly was a little sad; despite their antics and craziness at times, I really will miss them. They're good kids and they grew SO much this year.

And now that the test results are all in--and we're acceptable as a school this year, woohoo!!--, and the end of year paperwork is complete and the kids are all at home relaxing and my room is all boxed up and I'm at home relaxing too it's official. Summer vacation is here!

And while there's so much I could, and probably should, be doing right now, I think I'm going to take advantage of the quiet right now, with the dogs playing outside and my husband still at work, while the late afternoon sun streams in from my window, and take a nap. :)