4 1/2 weeks

I can tell it is getting to the end of the school year for several reasons.  

One, I have to have more smaller activities during my class to keep the attention of my students.  I was thrilled when the weather was crappy last week because we had to do end of level tests (in April!!!) and when my students would glance at the window, very few had the longing look in their face wishing to be outside - it did not look desirable at all.  It is really the only reason that I don't like it to get too warm too fast is to keep the attention of students in class instead of anywhere else they would rather be.  

Two, almost every weekend from now to the end of the year I will have a large number of students out of class for state you name it - track, band, orchestra, choir, softball, baseball, soccer, etc.  I have to almost double my prep to make sure I have the stuff for students who are going to miss - and there are some who are missing all the time.

Three, it's election season.  I love to read how the students take their names and twist them to make some fun campaign slogan.  I was shocked to find out how many different races we have this year with kids running unopposed.  It seems that the kids who really want to do it all are doing more than ever and the kids who just don't care really just don't care.  

Four, I'm out of patience with parents who are once again, and sometimes for the fourth quarter in a row, calling/emailing/showing up to talk about their dear darling who is once again failing.  I'm tired of the "I just don't know what to do" excuses or the "he's just so busy" excuses.  Really?  My class is set up in a way that if the student just did what I assigned in class during class, they would pass.  The kids who are failing will just not do the work regardless of the kind of assignment - drawing, playing a card game, act out what I've just given you...nothing.  So my dilemma comes in trying to politely tell these very nice mom's that Junior probably won't make up a 30% to 60% in four weeks.  No, I still won't give all the work from the quarter.  No, you can't turn assignments from last quarter.  

The present Secretary of Education wants to push for students to be in school for eleven months of the year.  Heaven help us all if that happens.  People need breaks.  Teachers need breaks.  All an eleven month school year will do is frazzle the overacheivers more and give more crap excuses for children's lack of performance.  But in the meantime, I just have 4 1/2 weeks until I get to be a full-time mom again.