Tomorrow, finally, is the last day of school. I'm sure my legions of readers (all three of you) across the country are in awe of the late ending date in my school district, an obvious sign of our rigor in pursuit of academic excellence.
Actually, our late ending date comes from having an entire week off at Thanksgiving, two weeks off at Christmas, an entire week ("Presidents Week") in February, and a week off for Spring Break. Not quite the academic rigor you were expecting, is it? But those breaks sure are nice, especially the February one, coming as it does during ski season.
I gave my last final yesterday. I posted grades today, and already I'm dealing with the student tears and parent demands for justification. Ah, the perks of teaching in a well-to-do area. And having taught in a not-so-well-to-do area, I'm well aware that I'd rather have these types of issues than the ones there. Still, I'm thankful for Ed Code Section 49066.
As this year winds down, we received the tentative master schedule for next year. Instead of teaching three different courses, as I've done for the last two years, I'll only be teaching two--two Algebra 1's and three Pre-calcs. I'm kind of sad that I won't be teaching Algebra 2, my all-time favorite, but that sadness will be more than offset by having to prepare for only two courses.
I haven't started clearing out my room yet. It'll be used for summer school, so I have to have all my stuff off the walls and my personal effects secured. With all our contract strife earlier in the school year we teachers will have to work one more day after school's out, and I'll go in next Monday and take care of things like that. Then I have the lengthy process of checking out; we have a very long checklist that requires many signatures. Starting school in August isn't near as difficult as ending in June.
I'd like to talk about some of my students, their struggles and successes, but I'm wary of privacy concerns. Most of the struggles turned out ok, and for that I was heartened. To my seniors I wish the best of luck--you're embarking on a most amazing journey, come back once in awhile and tell me how much you're enjoying it. To my underclasses--come by and say hi next year, and not just in August and September.
Darren: I'd love to hear some stories! Is it possilbe to get permission from the students to tell them using fake names?
ReplyDeleteThe district I worked for last year (I am now bed-ridden and can't work) doesn't end their school year until next week. It has to do with needing to start a bit later because of construction and having that Feb. break you spoke of (loved that when I was still working). So don't feel too bad-your summer may be getting a late start, but your colleagues in Plumas County (just north of you) are still working for one more week.
ReplyDeleteDoug