Friday, June 18, 2010

Wrapping up #3

The third and possibly best year of teaching has come to a close. My students were "promoted" Tuesday of this week, so I've been childless ever since. I still have to go into work until Tuesday, but I love the time spent cleaning my room and organizing things for next year.

Deal truly has been a dream school to work at. Less stress than the inner city jail cell I was at previously? NO!!! But it's a different kind of stress.

Are teachers totally disrespected and treated like crap everywhere? Even by higher up staff and kids parents? Or is that just a DCPS thing? I'm truly amazed by the verbal abuse some of my colleagues have put up with this year, and then I realize that "work for fear" attitude was as rampant as the mice in my last building. I haven't really had to work for fear this year, but I'm just shocked people treat good educators like this. Bad ones, totally justified, but good ones? Hold on to those!

The last week of activities was a blast. Exhausting. But so rewarding.

After the service project last Tuesday, I locked myself into the building to have a sleepover with the kids on the Principal's list. I won't mention which ethnicity of children were or were not there. It is worthy to note that only four of the eligible 20+ males showed up. Luckily, the four in attendance don't have much in the way of hormones yet so the night was very low key. A couple of my female students even mentioned how glad they were their guy friends didn't show up. It truly was a girls night gone wild (as 14-year-olds get) in the school building. I was a little shocked I volunteered agreed to chaperon the whole thing. Two of my favorite students asked me to before anyone knew I was pregnant, so I consented and then just never backed out. I'm sure glad I went though . . . it really was a gym full of 20 of the cutest girls in that school, plus my favorite co-workers. Long time since I had a sleepover; great way to have one "last" one.

The next day I stayed behind as our class went to Kings Dominion (amusement park). I had about 9 students left in my charge. They were the didn't pay/weren't passing crowd. Again, won't mention which ethnicity represented that group. Cough.

I say "ethnicity" but it's really all about social class. Ironic though that certain races don't "dip" into certain social classes. God Bless America, eh?

Friday night they had a "dress up" dance. Not to be confused with Prom, but pretty much a middle school Prom. So many thoughts on the attire that evening, but I'm tired of all this rambling.

Then Tuesday was the big day. Got rid of the little rats!

3 comments:

Claudia said...

I'm surprised that they would allow a "sleepover." That would be totally taboo in Utah, or at least in Millard County. I think I held the very last ones in 1979-1981.
I do remember with great fondness my 4th grade Thursday night sleepovers the week before the end of school. We'd pack up and go to Topaz and have stories told to us and a dutch over dinner prepared by room moms. Then we'd star gaze if it ever got dark. We did a writing assignment about camp experience and then returned to room 19 for a movie. The boys would sleep with me and a dad in the room and the girls would go with Mom and a room mom to the Library. The students loved playing with Matthew and Jon!
The next morning we'd arise around 7:00, go to the pool for a swim (bath!) and then return for a breakfast cooked by room moms.
I remember how the day would drag on and on and on. We were all tired and ready to go home by the time the bell rang at 3:20 on Friday!!
Fun times. Glad you got to enjoy some of what your Pa enjoyed 30 years ago.
Love, Pa

Polly Blevins said...

I think it is kind of cool to have a sleep over. I don't know if I would want to be the one chaperoning it though. I did that for youth conference and that was not so much fun. I think that school would be worse. You will have lots of little sleep overs with you new boy. I always slept in the rocking chair. I wake up and not know where I was and freak out because I thought I had smothered my baby...never happend though. You rock.

Claudia said...

What a way to end the year Betty Lou! Am happy to hear you had such a very enjoyable school year. Hope next year is just as great! Love ya, Mom Can hardly wait for the 24th!

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