In a Daze

It has come to this: it's Thursday morning and I'm typing at the breakfast table with a little sprout sitting beside me who has a face covered with Nutella from his toast. Nutella toast is a treat reserved for weekend breakfasts, but not today. I am still recovering from class trip-itis, from a day that began at 5 AM and ended the next morning at 1 AM (21 hours). Remember those days in college and university when you could stay up forever? Not happening now. Thank goodness the next day was a "recovery" day for my students (who were able to stay home, unlike teachers).

The past few days have been surreal. I've been cleaning and packing the classroom for the summer, learning about OSRs, planning bits for next year already (my ideas notebook is constantly open and being filled), and finishing up paperwork and inventories. I'm glad I have a mentor (my ever patient spouse) who helps me with all of this - I think the administration sometimes forgets that I am a newbie at all of this still. I am looking forward to the end of today, which is the last official day of school. We have a graduation and awards ceremony, followed by the closing feast and dancing.

Mostly, though, I have been trying to deal with the fact that I can't really let go and say good-bye to my class as most teachers do. I can wish them a great summer and all that, but I'm teaching my students again next year (and as a result, have new curriculum to learn). I hope that I can get some distance this summer (literally and figuratively) before starting fresh the next year.