Last Couple of Days
general
Eighth-Grade Day 2022
Game Playing, Shirt Signing
Another day of nothing, it would seem. Why the district makes us go these last days, we'll never know. Well, we know -- it's the law. But it's always a little strange. Still, the kids enjoy just getting to hang out with each other.
They play games.
They sign shirts.
And they just hang out together.
Class numbers are low; the kids who are there are always the calm, sweet ones. Why not just let them be and revel in their youth?
Nearing the End
The kids have only three more days of school: today was one of the two last full days because the final days are half days. Feed them lunch and get them out -- that's all that has to occur for the day to count, lunch. Everyone got their yearbooks today, so they spent most of the day signing each other's yearbooks.
Naturally, several students asked me to sign their yearbooks. In the past, I made it easy on myself and kept with my dad-joke persona: I'd ask, "What do you want me to write?" and write whatever they said.
"I don't know. Something nice." Into the yearbook goes I don't know. Something nice.
This year, I decided not to do that. It's easy, and it's fun to see the kids' reactions, but this time, I thought about what I wanted to say to each kid who asked.
It was hard for some of them
Some of the things I wanted to say might not be the greatest thing to write in a yearbook. Not that they were negative, but so many kids sell themselves so short, so many kids who never really worked to their full potential because they didn't even see their full potential. I sat and pondered for a bit, coming up with something positive and encouraging for everyone, but it wasn't always easy or automatic.
Except for some kids.
We're not supposed to have favorites, I know, and I really don't feel like I do, but there are some kids that are just easier to work with, are just simpler to help reach their potential, are just more relaxed. More blessed some might say.
Memorial Day Walk
We decided today to visit Greenville's newest park: Unity Park. According to the website,
Greenville’s newest park features four state-of-the-art playgrounds, including a 4,100-square-foot splash pad, two expansive green spaces, covered picnic tables and a 10,000-square-foot welcome center with restrooms, a first-aid station and flexible event space. The 60-acre park also features basketball courts and a historic baseball field located on the site of the former Mayberry Park, which was built in 1925.
Unity Park Site
E and I rode our bikes by it on our last trip on the Swamp Rabbit trail, but it was still under construction at that point.
After exploring the new park for a while, we walked downtown to the tried and true Reedy River Park.
An overall lovely day.
Songs
American/Polish Ognisko
Warning
It's the end of the school year, and that can only mean one thing for my English I students: letters to next year's students.
"Make a little nervous," say to them with a smile. "Impress them with your writing, and don't lie -- but scare them just a bit, too."
Here are some of my favorite quotes from this year's letters:
- Mr. Scott’s class is everything you’ve heard: awful, torturous, bewildering, etc, but it’s also a class that will form you into a better student, and you will find yourself writing things that you never believed you could. But trust me, reaching this did not come easy.
- I am sure that if you have earned your way into this class, you have heard the array of rumors regarding its difficulty. I for one recall questioning every former student to dig up any detail I could. I am here to tell you that the rumors about Mr. Scott and his dreadful class are not hearsay, but in fact very true. This class is very strenuous and involves lots of work.
- Most of your teachers are probably droning on about the student handbook, class rules, and retake policies, but not Mr. Scott. That’s your first clue about what kind of teacher he is. This class has most certainly been one of the most rigorous and challenging courses I have ever taken, but I have come out on the other side better for it.
- Mr. Scott will push you past your limits and tears will be shed during this Journey. From the beginning to the end of a very long year you will come out a completely different writer and person once he is through with you.
- Don’t let [Mr. Scott’s] glumpy old face get to you: he’s kind of a nice guy that’ll make English a living hell but at least it’s only for 180 days.
- Prepare yourselves for the most challenging class of your middle school years. This class will push you to your limit. There will be times where you will hate Mr. Scott, and you will learn he can be very annoying. Often he doesn’t answer your questions and just makes you figure them out on your own. But that will make you more independent as a writer and make you come up with your own ideas.
Working Girl
The Girl has her second job: this time, she's working at Dairy Queen. I guess there's a certain continuity with last summer's job at Culver's, but only vaguely.
When she was applying for the job, I suggested that she shouldn't leave the reference section empty.
"They're so desperate for workers," she explained, "that it doesn't matter." I recommended that she reconsidered; she didn't. She got the job.
It helped that she did have experience, though, that she could go straight to work, that she knew how to work a register. The first day on the job, they put her behind a register and got her working with almost no immediate training.
The other afternoon, our family friends went through the drive-thru to get a little snack. L didn't realize it was them until they pulled up.
This is now one of my favorite pictures of her.
Awards 2022
We had a drive-through awards ceremony tonight. We did it a couple of years ago because of Covid; now it seems we're doing it every year. I like the traditional kind better...
These are some of my kiddos that came through.