School and the City

I have a case of the Sunday night blues tonight, and it's not for the reason you'd think. The school year is over here, and tomorrow I have to drive to my school for the last time to get my room checked and to turn in my keys. Y'all. I'm SAD. I mean, let's be real. Teaching is definitely NOT always sunshine and bunnies and rainbows. (In the world of education, those things would be the equivalent of well-behaved kids, huge academic growth in all students, supportive and happy parents, plus simply the ability to impact young little lives in a positive way every day.) But sometimes, that's exactly what it is. Isn't it crazy how we count down the days to the end of the year, and then when the last day FINALLY gets here, it seems like it's arrived much too soon? I think as teachers, we often get caught up in the little stuff: a student with a behavior problem, poorly-designed curriculum, a snarky email from a parent, or only having 20 minutes t...

It's that time of the year again: Time for end-of-year gifts.  (Because YES, I am STILL IN SCHOOL over here in central North Carolina!!!!) Thanks Tara for hosting this fun linky party! GOODBYE GIFTS FOR THE KIDS Did you know that Scholastic has "Dollar Deals" every month? I bought dollar books for my kids for Christmas, and they loved that. I decided to buy a dollar book for each student for the end of year too! In April, one of the "Dollar Deals" was Sideways Stories from Wayside School. We have read all 3 Wayside books as a class this year and the kids absolutely go crazy for them! I figured they wouldn't mind having a copy of their own to re-read. I wrote an individualized note to each student inside the front cover about how great they are, how much I will miss them, blah blah blah....... (trying not to cry)...... We also made some bookmarks that will be stuck inside the Wayside book. I made a blank bookmark for each studen...