75% Done

In less than a week, our school will be starting the final quarter (nine weeks). Happy/sad!

Sad because:
~my class this year absolutely rocks. I am not having a "Snow White" year (where the woodland creatures follow us happily down the halls as we sing merrily) but they are responsible, respectful, and hard-working kiddos that I genuinely like.
~the kindergarten classes are way over-crowded, so our usually magic-making kinder teachers have not been able to help shape the group into first graders as much as play "whack-a-mole" at just about every opportunity
~a few of my students are not progressing academically as I would have hoped, and the time to make decisions that forcefully impact their school careers is quickly approaching (and what if I decide wrong?)
~my own kiddos will be either out of 1st grade (and thus, from MY grade) or out of elementary entirely. I am going to miss seeing them both every day like CRAZY.

Happy because:
~Duh! SUMMER.
~this job provides a do-over EVERY YEAR. Something didn't work? It might with a different group. Something could work better? Opportunity to tweak and refine.
~my teammate and friend will NOT be out on maternity leave next year like she is this year (I miss her!)
~super fun stuff (like butterflies and Ocean Week and Beach Towel Fridays) are coming up

"Yesterday was history; tomorrow is a mystery--> today is a GIFT. That's why it's called the PRESENT." --Alice Morse Earle

So even though our year is 75% over, I am going to enjoy my gift of today. Hope you do, too!