End of the Year Reflections

Here it is! The last workday of the year!

Walking through the parking lot this morning, I realized that, for the first time in many years, I made it from January through June without missing any school days for being sick.

Wow!

I don't mean being at school while fighting off a cold (or bronchitis). Actually, I have had the healthiest six months of my 20 years of working in schools! And I still feel great!

Now that all the shelves are dusted, the blinds are closed, the counters clear, and the teachers are all checked off for having returned their materials, what have I learned this year?

From the first half of the year, at the elementary school:

1. No matter the planning, live streaming is not always going to go smoothly. Especially if the streaming code has one little number or letter wrong. Fortunately, it's a easy fix, even for fifth grade technicians.
2. Kindergartners can drive you batty, make you cry, and make you smile...all within one class period. Momar...you were one of the reasons I loved kindergartners. Thank you for the beautiful picture of me when you drew your favorite thing in the library.  It will remain on my desk for a long time.
3. When technology services "upgrades" the operating system, be prepared for the older devices to rebel. Especially in the middle of a research project in all upper grades. Fortunately, we could take turns on the desktops when the minis refused to start up.
4. You never realize how much there is to do until you create a manual explaining everything (and I do mean EVERYTHING!) the administration, faculty, parents, and students have come to expect. I don't think the 3-inch binder with 22 tabs was too long. Was it?
5. This is a great school, with a great staff and students. I'm thankful for my many experiences and for my students.

From the second half of the year, at the high school:

1. Wow. I thought my own teenagers were tall...I went from being taller than all my students to being shorter than the vast majority. It's nice to feel "petite"!
2. When one English teacher begins a research project, all English teachers will want to begin a research project. Creative and strategic scheduling is necessary to get everyone into the databases. And heaven help the schedule when we miss a week due to snow!
3. Very few teachers and students remember to use the e-books. Some serious advertising will need to take place next year, as well as staff training so these wonderful resources are used adequately.
4. You can learn to draw anything using You Tube. Several of my students worked on their drawing skills during SMART lunch. The number of ways to draw eyes is amazing.
5. Collaboration with the art teachers means phenomenal artwork to be displayed in the media center. One of the judging criteria: will I grow tired of it after the next ten years? (And in conjunction with this and #4: WOW! This school is FILLED with talented artists!)
6. This is where I have wanted to be for awhile. The wait has been worth it. I love working at this school with its great faculty and students. Arrrrgh! Go Pirates!