Field Day!

I am sitting on my couch, relishing the air conditioning right now.

Today was Field Day... so I just got done spending my whole day, including my lunch and plan, with my 4th graders. It was a very smooth day, no big problems, but I sure am tired.

School is really wrapping up! I turned in final grades this week, which was such a huge weight off! Grading was one of the surprise stresses that I was not ready for this year. The amount of papers is astounding, even though I don't feel like I give all that much "paper" work. I gradually got more organized as the year went on. The first semester, I feel like my grades were just all over the place. These last 2 quarters, though, were a little easier. I had a better idea about what I wanted to grade and how I wanted to grade it. It was still a struggle though. Just glad to have the papers gone, in the computer, and checked off the list.

I've begun to take things home. It feels like so long ago that I put all these things up, but at the same time, I feel like I just did it. Needless to say, it's just weird to be packing up. I feel like I have awaited this time for so long (I don't know if that's bad to say or not), and it's sort of surreal for it to finally be here. Next Tuesday and Wednesday, I'll have my kids help me clean and pack. Since I'm moving to Maryland in July, I have to seriously pack things well. It is definitely going to be a project, but this time in one week, I'll be finished.

Finished.

FINISHED with my first year of teaching.

I keep thinking about how it will feel to say go0d-bye to my kids. My kids, the ones who have made my life so difficult and stressful and crazy this year. Will I miss them? Yeah, I will. But I am ready. Is that bad? I just hope that I've made at least a small impact on them. Not in the cheesy "A teacher touches lives forever" bookmark... but a real impact. How will they recall their 4th grade year? Will any of the manners, life lessons, etc, that we have talked about daily be present at all the day after school gets out?

I'm curious.

And again, just so so ready to say that I've completed this first year.

From the almost-finished,
Miss Davis