It’s my last day, and I’m sitting in my room trying to find something to do. For some reason, the board decided to approve a calendar that had four work days after the last day of school. Yeah, FOUR. Now y’all know I’m a planner. I DO NOT procrastinate. So I started taking things down in my room about three weeks before the end of school. I began packing away little decorations and things that I knew I couldn’t leave up over summer. I labeled my furniture. I purged old papers. I just started doing the things I knew would have to be done before I could get that last check out sheet signed.
This gave me time to run to IKEA and get those bookshelves I wanted for next year, and my husband was able to help me put them together. We had to clean out the room of our colleague that passed away this year. That one was TOUGH, but the three of us (ELA teachers) worked together until we needed an emotional break, we’d take the break, and then we’d get back to it. I hope I never have to do that again. We also went through a lockdown weather situation on Wednesday which was really weird. Tornadoes are scary!
I’ve also been slowly taking home resources to use for planning this summer. We got some supplemental curriculum pieces that I’m anxious to incorporate, so I will definitely be working on lesson plans for the first quarter. I already have them finished, but I need to work the new stuff in!
The next two months will go super fast, as all teachers know, but I’m usually ready to get started once those PD days come at the beginning of August. I’m lucky that I work at a place that I want to come back to. There will be lots to do when I return, but I can’t wait to begin the process of putting my classroom back together with my new space for my classroom library and all the new books I hope to add to the shelves.
I hope you all have a wonderful, restful, rejuvenating summer!
KJ
I’m sorry about your colleague. My first year, we had a teacher killed in a car accident on the way home from school. Five years later, it still hits me. Have a great summer!
I’m sorry about your colleague. I have a feeling that I will have the same experience. Little things have been the hardest to anticipate. Just stuff that comes out of now where, and suddenly you’re tearing up.