Day 533 -- Last Day

Last day of school!

Last day of school!

Last day of school!

What else needs to be said, really?

Well, nothing, but you know I'm going to anyway.  So, here goes.

It's been a long year, but a good one. 

  • It was the first year I had a shoe fly across the lab while we were working on an experiment. 
  • It was the first year I spoke at a conference. 
  • It was the first year I spoke at graduation! 
  • It was the first time I sang in front of the entire student body. 
  • It was the first year I missed more than 2 days of school in a row. 
  • It was the first year I tried standards-based grading.
  • It was the first year I had two students tell me they wanted to become chemistry teachers. 
  • It was the first year I trained for an Ironman during the school year. 
  • It was the first year I went to Kindergarten round-up. 
  • It was my first year as student council co-advisor. 
  • It was the year I received tenure, and then found out that tenure doesn't exist any more.
  • It was the first year we did Power Boost/Play.
  • It was the first year I participated in a lip dub.

It was a good year.  But, I'll say it again.  One of the things I love the most about my job -- besides all of those obvious things like making a difference in the lives of young people, blah, blah, blah -- is the sense of closure you get at the end of the year.  It's like each school year is a little project to finish.  When the project is complete, you tie up any lose ends and declare it done.

And when I declare this year done, I mean to shout it from the rooftops! 

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!

When we got home today, my oldest friend had hung a giant green banner on our house that said, "Welcome to Summer Vacation!"  That's exactly how I felt -- so full of energy and anticipation that I just wanted everyone to know.

Today, I'm obviously thankful that we have reached the end of the 2011-2012 school year, my 7th year as a full-time high school science teacher.  I'm also thankful for my many friends and family who have supported me through this year and are ready to celebrate with me.

Thank God for the last day!

Lord, thank you for getting us through another school year.  Please bless us with a relaxing and fun-filled summer.  In your name I pray, Amen.

Comments

Kristin said…
Now that school is done....Let's get together and have a drink. Please:)
June 9, 2012 at 12:39 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 162 -- "Showing Us the Way"

Image
One of my favorite things about the spring is the baccalaureate celebration that takes place the week before graduation.  I love the chance to see my seniors in their caps and gowns and to praise God for their arrival to the finish line.  For every year since I can remember, I've listened to Western's Select Choir perform the song "Showing Us the Way" by Michael V. Ficocelli.  When I was a senior, I even got to sing it at my own baccalaureate.  That year, and every year since I have taught at Western, I get choked up listening to the perfectly fitting lyrics of this song.  Tonight, on a perfect evening at the Cascades Falls, tears ran down my face as I watched the seniors I taught sing the words of this song to their classmates, parents, teachers, and friends.  I smiled and cried a little more as I realized that someday there's a good chance I'll be watching my own kids sing it at their baccalaureate. I had to share it with you.  This isn't Western's
Read more

Adelai Joy

Giving birth to my daughter was a series of events I will never forget. On Tuesday evening, Colby and I went out to dinner. At some point in the evening, I told Colby that I thought we should head to the hospital. Given my history of delievering babies in a startingly short amount of time, I thought we should go to the hospital sooner rather than later (labors for both Breslin and Dharia were only 4 hours each). When we got there, I was discouraged to find that I wasn't very far along in the labor process, but they decided not to send us home based on said history. It turns out this was a very good thing. 20 minutes after being told that we could be there for a while, I was in the jacuzzi tub when I realized that the baby was coming RIGHT NOW. Long story short, I gave birth to my daughter in the bathroom of my hospital room. Even though it was somewhat horrifying, I find myself wanting to relive the details of her birth over and over again. I never want to forget the feeling of wel
Read more

We Dance...and We Sing...When We Play the Drum!

Let it be known that my son gets his money's worth out of his toys. Or, in this case, someone else's money's worth. Whatever. You know what I mean. The toys that he likes, he really, really likes. He uses them a lot for a long time. This particular toy is a drum that was given to him by our friends, The Tappans, at his FIRST birthday party. Needless to say, tonight he was REALLY enjoying his gift.
Read more