Day #178

It's close now, the end of the 2011-2012 school year. So close I can taste it. I'm trying not to act like I'm on summer vacay yet, but it's hard. There's so much left to do: complete final assessments, write report cards, plan next week's mini-course on international travel, DJ the end-of-year picnic, rehearse and set-up and break-down and get through the 8th grade passage ceremony at UMB, create the center pieces for the tables at said event, coach my homeroom through their portfolios and student-led conference presentations, look at the end-of year benchmark reading and language data for the 65 kids I have currently and will see again next year, begin planning next year's three academic expeditions, think of final products for said Expeditions. I've got to take courses this summer to keep my certification: Teaching Reading in the Content Area I and II. Yuck. And I just found out that on the new facilities map my room is moving across the hall and down next to the library. This makes room close-out a much more complicated process, and one of our pack-up days has now been co-opted by a School Leadership Team meeting. Oh, and Culminating Event is today. I need to get ready for that, because I haven't, and in a couple hours parents will be touring my room with their kids. I'm starting to choke on it all. I'm going to be the Humanities Team lead next year and I don't feel up to it. Insomnia all week hasn't helped. I'm so tired I bombed out on the Push-up Wars: I only did 67, which is terrible for me, and I came in second to one of the counselors, who did 84, a number I normally crush. I don't like losing those challenges. At least I beat the Phys Ed teachers. Ugh. What will I do with the students in my reg classes next week? I have nothing left to give, but I don't want to show movies. Maybe they can help me clean up. Yesterday on the playground before school: Morganna: "Mr. Geoff, I'm bored." Me: "Why are you bored Morganna?" Morganna: "There's nobody out here I like." Me: "How can someone your age ever be bored. Look around you. The world is an interesting place. What about your imagination?" Morganna: "If I imagine I'll be a big weirdo."