The room is quiet. There are no students left. Artwork is gone from classroom walls and the hall. All the books are stored away. Shelves are dusted and garbage-bagged. Furniture is stacked in one corner. My personal possessions and teaching paraphernalia are boxed and stacked in the Resource room down the hall. All that is left in this room that speaks of that past ten months of work and learning is a tree filled with butterflies hanging from the ceiling.
We are done. Students left yesterday for their favourite time of year. The end of year to do list all checked off. I am not a classroom teacher anymore (for at least a year anyway).
So, now it is summer time for real.
Let the fun begin!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Not My Mama
"Mama, you're not my mama today!" has become Fi's refrain at school this past month.
On Tuesday my class and I spent eight hours on the bus to spend six hours in the city exploring the Manitoba Museum, eating out together and celebrating the end of a successful school year at am amusement park. Although it is a crazy-long day it was also a lot of fun.
What is funny is that even though I wasn't allowed to be her mom all day, Fi chose to sit with me on the bus for a chunk of the drive, and she hung out with me the whole time at the amusement park. We played a round of mini golf together and road the bumper cars. We drove a double rider go-cart around the race track (although I wasn't allowed to go too fast).
It was a really great day.
On Tuesday my class and I spent eight hours on the bus to spend six hours in the city exploring the Manitoba Museum, eating out together and celebrating the end of a successful school year at am amusement park. Although it is a crazy-long day it was also a lot of fun.
What is funny is that even though I wasn't allowed to be her mom all day, Fi chose to sit with me on the bus for a chunk of the drive, and she hung out with me the whole time at the amusement park. We played a round of mini golf together and road the bumper cars. We drove a double rider go-cart around the race track (although I wasn't allowed to go too fast).
It was a really great day.
Henry and Mudge
Jo is just starting to read. To encourage a love of reading and a sense of ownership of books, LK ordered him several books from a series called Henry and Mudge. They are a lovely series for beginner readers about a boy and his great big dog. The stories are very simple, but they speak to Jo.
He tells me as we start a 'chapter' what he likes about that chapter and what is funny in it. He wants me to point to the words so he can see the ones that he really likes.
The magic of a good book is quite amazing.
And as we read together tonight before his bedtime, I realized again that this boy really needs a dog.
He tells me as we start a 'chapter' what he likes about that chapter and what is funny in it. He wants me to point to the words so he can see the ones that he really likes.
The magic of a good book is quite amazing.
And as we read together tonight before his bedtime, I realized again that this boy really needs a dog.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Sunday, Cranky Sunday
"This was the worst Sunday EVER," was LK's summary of the day. He was right.
Jo was up several times during the night afraid and needing comfort. That is my job as LK gets up with him in the morning. And then, as usual, he was also up at the crack of dawn. Usually he goes downstairs and LK makes him breakfast and I never hear a thing. I am completely pampered, I know. Anyway, this morning he didn't go downstairs. Instead he snuggled up with me. Not to sleep, mind you. Really he wanted to tell me stories, play with his cars, and generally BE AWAKE. That was not at all what I wanted to be doing. I was tired. And cranky.
Well, I had a list longer than my arm of stuff that needed to get done in order for the week to go smoothly (this last week of school in insane with field trips and report cards and packing up classrooms and...). It just was not to be. Right after breakfast, and BEFORE MY CUP OF TEA the power went off.
And stayed off. All day.
And we stood in the living room window and watched the heavens open and deluge us with more rain that we have seen all spring. It may even have been more precipitation than we had all winter. The road was a river. Jo was aching to go out in it. But not until the lightning stopped.
So we were all cooped up in the house. And there was no power. So no tea.
And LK and I have report cards due tomorrow which needed a few thing finished. And there was not enough laptop batteries charged to get them done. Or enough quiet. And mine are very handily stored in my Dropbox in the big filing cabinet in the sky (Web). So without power I couldn't access them anyway.
We don't do particularly well with forced inactivity. Chosen inactivity is another matter entirely. But when there is a list not being able to get things on it done makes me a bit crazy.
And there was a lot of sibling bickering happening. We would have about 20 minutes of reasonably peaceful play and then it would sound like a war had erupted upstairs. Toys were thrown, voices were raised in screaming (not by me). My usually wonderful children had been driven mad by spring cabin fever.
But then the rain stopped for a short while and they went outside. And the house was quiet for a short little while. And they ended up at Nana and Pop's house for an hour. And we pulled our cranky selves together.
After a dinner of peanut butter and grape jelly, the Sprouts went happily enough to bed. And we watched the clock tick away our time to get the work done before our own bedtime loomed.
The power came on at 8:45 and all four of us are still in one piece. And we even stayed up later to get the reports done. They might have a few typos that I hope our admin will catch, but my eyes are crossed with tiredness. I need to go to bed.
And heaven help anyone who wakes me before 7:00 tomorrow morning.
Jo was up several times during the night afraid and needing comfort. That is my job as LK gets up with him in the morning. And then, as usual, he was also up at the crack of dawn. Usually he goes downstairs and LK makes him breakfast and I never hear a thing. I am completely pampered, I know. Anyway, this morning he didn't go downstairs. Instead he snuggled up with me. Not to sleep, mind you. Really he wanted to tell me stories, play with his cars, and generally BE AWAKE. That was not at all what I wanted to be doing. I was tired. And cranky.
Well, I had a list longer than my arm of stuff that needed to get done in order for the week to go smoothly (this last week of school in insane with field trips and report cards and packing up classrooms and...). It just was not to be. Right after breakfast, and BEFORE MY CUP OF TEA the power went off.
And stayed off. All day.
And we stood in the living room window and watched the heavens open and deluge us with more rain that we have seen all spring. It may even have been more precipitation than we had all winter. The road was a river. Jo was aching to go out in it. But not until the lightning stopped.
So we were all cooped up in the house. And there was no power. So no tea.
And LK and I have report cards due tomorrow which needed a few thing finished. And there was not enough laptop batteries charged to get them done. Or enough quiet. And mine are very handily stored in my Dropbox in the big filing cabinet in the sky (Web). So without power I couldn't access them anyway.
We don't do particularly well with forced inactivity. Chosen inactivity is another matter entirely. But when there is a list not being able to get things on it done makes me a bit crazy.
And there was a lot of sibling bickering happening. We would have about 20 minutes of reasonably peaceful play and then it would sound like a war had erupted upstairs. Toys were thrown, voices were raised in screaming (not by me). My usually wonderful children had been driven mad by spring cabin fever.
But then the rain stopped for a short while and they went outside. And the house was quiet for a short little while. And they ended up at Nana and Pop's house for an hour. And we pulled our cranky selves together.
After a dinner of peanut butter and grape jelly, the Sprouts went happily enough to bed. And we watched the clock tick away our time to get the work done before our own bedtime loomed.
The power came on at 8:45 and all four of us are still in one piece. And we even stayed up later to get the reports done. They might have a few typos that I hope our admin will catch, but my eyes are crossed with tiredness. I need to go to bed.
And heaven help anyone who wakes me before 7:00 tomorrow morning.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Exhausted but Happy
As the bus rolled up to the house I ran out to meet my boys. They both stepped off the bus looking rumpled and tired. But their faces were lit with great big grins. The field trip was lots of fun for both of them.
It was a treat to sit around the table listening to both of them tell stories about what they saw and learned and tried. And Jo had sleep in his eyes from falling asleep on the bus for most of the trip home.
Check out LK's blog for pics in the next few days.
It was a treat to sit around the table listening to both of them tell stories about what they saw and learned and tried. And Jo had sleep in his eyes from falling asleep on the bus for most of the trip home.
Check out LK's blog for pics in the next few days.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Counting Sleeps
Jo is counting sleeps until his class field trip. They are going to the fire station in town, glow-in-the-dark bowling, and for dinner at Mickey D's. What a brave teacher to take a bunch of four- and five-year olds bowling! He fell asleep after calling down to me several times tonight, "My teacher says I need to wear white tomorrow. My teacher says I need to have a bath or shower before tomorrow." LK is going on with his first field trip as a parent chaperone.
Fi is counting sleeps until her mother isn't her teacher any longer. She has done great, but having so much overlap in our relationship has put a strain on her this last couple of weeks. I am glad we had this year together as I got to know her at an entirely new level. And I appreciate her incredible, amazing intelligence so much more. But we are not going to do this again. Once is enough.
LK is counting sleeps until he gets to start his summer adventure. Although he did mention in passing earlier this week that he might send us on vacation without him and just stay home for a month of peace and quiet. He is depleted and needs to refill his energy with lots of quiet and picture-taking. I hope that we can convince him that we will not chatter endlessly for the entire trip (wait, what am I thinking?). Well, I hope he comes anyway.
I am counting sleeps until school is done. It has been a very busy, challenging year in both my personal and professional lives. I am ready for a rest. I am ready for no report cards or lesson plans. No mentoring chats. No hunting for materials or resources. Just light summer reading, lots of time in the sunshine, playing with my kids, running for sheer joy, and a trip that takes us away from daily life. I am ready for vacationland.
How many more sleeps?
Fi is counting sleeps until her mother isn't her teacher any longer. She has done great, but having so much overlap in our relationship has put a strain on her this last couple of weeks. I am glad we had this year together as I got to know her at an entirely new level. And I appreciate her incredible, amazing intelligence so much more. But we are not going to do this again. Once is enough.
LK is counting sleeps until he gets to start his summer adventure. Although he did mention in passing earlier this week that he might send us on vacation without him and just stay home for a month of peace and quiet. He is depleted and needs to refill his energy with lots of quiet and picture-taking. I hope that we can convince him that we will not chatter endlessly for the entire trip (wait, what am I thinking?). Well, I hope he comes anyway.
I am counting sleeps until school is done. It has been a very busy, challenging year in both my personal and professional lives. I am ready for a rest. I am ready for no report cards or lesson plans. No mentoring chats. No hunting for materials or resources. Just light summer reading, lots of time in the sunshine, playing with my kids, running for sheer joy, and a trip that takes us away from daily life. I am ready for vacationland.
How many more sleeps?
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