End of the Year Thoughts

Today was the last day of school. I'm so glad that it is over now. I spent the day party hopping, with visiting the 2nd grade, 5th grade, and 6th grade classes as they celebrated this special day. I enjoyed bagels, cupcakes, and juice while signing yearbooks and saying goodbye. Especially to the 6th graders, who are leaving for the middle school. The promotion ceremony this morning brought tears to everyone's eyes, especially when the little boy with Down's Syndrome was given over $1,000 in donations for the companion dog his family is wanting to purchase for him. There are such generous families here who are absolutely amazing!

This year has had its ups and downs for me. The ups were full of watching extraordinary teachers do their thing and watching kids learn and accomplish amazing tasks. One 6th grade class that I spend time in has increased their math scores significantly and every one of them can write a 5-paragraph essay.  That class of kids will be so ready for their 7th grade year and it is unfortunate that their teacher will be moving on to another school next year. I hope she knows how much she'll be missed and how much our kids benefited with her there.

The downs were watching some mediocre teaching going on which failed to motivate and inspire kids to learn. I worry about those kids next year and hope that they will be able to make up for lost skills.  I also witnessed staff who just didn't seem to care, who seemed depressed, and who weren't supportive of students. That really disappointed me this year. The worst thing to happen during this last month of school was to hear about the budget cuts that had to be made due to the financial crisis. Classes are being combined, which meant teachers had to change grades (some against their wishes), and now class sizes will be larger. Some  Instructional Assistants were not rehired for next year so will have to find other positions.

My position next year will change as a result of a couple of issues: the budget crunch has less available for IA's and one of my son's will be in the 5th and 6th grade resource room. Because of the budget issue, I have only been offered a position in the afternoons instead of mornings, still part time. Because of my son's grade, I'll have to move down to the lower grades to work. I'm not sure how I feel about these changes and have told my boss that I'll be thinking about it and will get back to her.

So summer vacation has now begun! The plans this summer include a lot of camping, visiting with friends, swimming at the pool, and hiking the trails. I look forward to next weekend, when I'll get to have a "Sister's Only" visit where we'll do things that we don't get to do with our families in tow. Another highlight of my summer will be when my parents come to visit and camp with us. It'll be a great summer and I know it will be far too short!

~~~~~~~~~
Neat