For those of you who've noticed, I've been MIA the past few weeks...or should I say, the last two months. Once the long-awaited Spring Break came and went, the end of the school year just started coming faster and faster. LITERALLY - it feels very similar to the scene in Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark, where Indiana /sigh/ {Harrison Ford back in the day} is running for his life as he is mere moments away from being flattened by a ginormous rock. THAT - is what the last 8 weeks have felt like.
Life hasn't been very pretty lately or very calm...of course, to my fellow teacher friends - no explanation is needed. Quite simply put - part of my frustration is the inability to explain the life of a teacher to non-teachers. I've come to decide that the majority (NOT all) of individuals who do not teach or have not taught CANNOT understand what it is like to be a teacher and how NOT easy the job is. Despite my best attempts, explaining tenure and the process behind attaining it is difficult. Explaining why SO much of our work comes home with us is difficult. Explaining why there is SO much more to do throughout the year (including the summer) is difficult. Explaining that having the summer off in no way justifies how much we are paid is difficult. But alas - until one of said individuals walks in our shoes, the point is moot. We are BUSY individuals and the quintessential multi-taskers of the world...but to those who are not 'one of us', they shall never know.
/SIGH/ Rant complete. Now - to apologize for my absence. I promised myself that this blog wasn't going to be another unfinished diary (believe me, I've got several attempts there...) but I had quite a bit going on and couldn't bring myself to factor blogging back in. However, I remained somewhat in touch -- mostly thanks to Pinterest and all of its goodies and very much missed putting in my own two cents. And so, I'm back.
Today marks the final two weeks (3 more days this week, 5 next week and 1.5 the following week = 9.5) of time with my kiddos. Last Friday, we toured the middle school my 5th graders will be transitioning to, Friday is our field day, next week brings a field trip and fun day...and soon thereafter, promotion and their Clap Out. Has it been a full school year already?! *sniff sniff* Either way...it's time to get busy and get everything I can in their little noggins before they're gone from me forever!
How are you preparing for the end of the year with your kiddos? I'm excited to see how our Memoir Project will turn out - I am having my kiddos create a Memoir Book about their 5th grade (or K-5th grade years) and present it on the next to last day of school...What fun things do you do with your students?
