Some weeks have a theme. For example:
1. First-week-of-spring
2. Snow-and-hot-chocolate-and-books
3. Eat-Salad-and-don’t-be-fat
4. Completing-important-life-errands
5. Cherry-blossom-trees
The theme of this week in this teacher’s life is:
“Last-week-of-school”
There is something special about the last week of school. Students are thoroughly and introspectively contemplating all you have taught them through the year while they happily study for their finals. They are so thankful and all bring you presents. Colleagues are absorbed with the academically-rewarding work of planning units for next year. There is an air of relaxation as the year peacefully winds to a close….
JUST KIDDING
If you believe a word of that, it’s been too long since you set foot in a school building. The last week of school is terrible. Students are stressed about about tests, grades and papers that they have been ignoring all year. Colleagues are either hung-over or annoyed that they have so much grading to do. Everyone is exhausted and the only air circulating is the frantic whirlwind of people traipsing between the coffee machine and the recycling bin…
Needless to say, this has been a week of extreme fatigue and and mild frustration at work. It is important to count my blessings and remember that I am lucky to have a job. So here goes, in no particular order…..