Conestee Turtle
Closing In
We're in our final three weeks of school -- my final three weeks at Hughes. My testing is over: we had three days -- three days -- of English testing (two reading, one writing). My grades are almost done: English 8 students have one more grade while English I Honors have three. Everything is winding down.
And those three weeks are hardly full weeks: we have another day of testing (math -- poor sixth-grade students have two more days of testing because they also have a science test); we have a field trip next Friday; our last two days are half days; I'm missing one day for L's graduation. And we're done with Monday. So that means we have about ten more regular days of school. "Are you excited about next year?" seems to be the common refrain from my colleagues, and I freely admit that I am at such peace with this decision that I don't think excitement is the emotion I'm feeling: confidence, surety. It will be a good thing.
This Saturday, we had the intake for students at the new school, so I got to meet a lot of students and parents. As I told them the plans I have for this class, parents continually told me, "That sounds like a very valuable class."
Yet every now and then, it really hits me what I'm about to do. I've taught at that school for eighteen years now. Seventeen of those years I've been in the same room. I'm comfortable there. I have no surprises there. But surprises can be a good thing. I hope to have many of the next year.
We're also closing in on L's graduation (May 20) and her departure for college. We're ordering things (a new laptop that's actually more powerful than our desktop), planning things (a graduation party that will last an afternoon and evening), discussing things (upcoming exams, upcoming travel), and getting used to the idea of her being gone (not really).
And then there's the Boy: he's got concerts and competitions for band; he's got his own testing worries to stress about (why do we do this to kids?); he's got a burgeoning social life for which we provide transportation. All this as he closes in on his final year as a middle schooler.
Grad Pictures
Polish Festival
Final Competitor
Coming Departure
Since I made it official that this will be my last year at Hughes Academy, I have noticed a change in how I view things. “Don’t check out these last few weeks,” Kinga said to me. I replied that this was the last batch of students I’m sending to local high schools, and I want my reputation to remain intact. Several teachers have told me that they can tell who my students are after the first major writing assignment. I don’t want that to change this final year. still my stress levels on some things have declined greatly.
Today, for example I saw a kid with his hoodie still on, and I told him to take it off. He said he was going off to PE and would take it off afterward. I knew it he is not supposed to have it at PE, but in the end I just let him go. Karma will catch up to him, I thought sure enough, an hour later, I saw him standing in the hall, being dressed down by the principal for wearing his hoodie.
Another example occurred last week. One student was extremely disrespectful with me, and this disrespect came immediately upon being told that he needed to vacate the hallway and make it to class. I’ve had encounters with this student earlier in the year, and none of them have been pleasant. I can only imagine how much chaos he brings to the classrooms he attends. I thought that perhaps I should write him up. That would be a mild blessing for his teachers because a day without a problematic student is like a day of vacation. You can get things done that you couldn’t get done otherwise. Still in the end, I decided it was just not worth my time. I’d have to call his mother, and I’d have to find that phone number by going to this teacher or that teacher and tracking it down. I wouldn’t have access to it myself. All that being said, I just decided it was not worth my time.
Conestee Dam Renovation
Our Girl
Saturday
Thursday Badminton
