items of note

School is out.

I am teaching Summer Academy, a program for incoming ninth grade students.

My Dominican Republic trip proposal was approved by the school board. Yippee!

And...I was voted onto Leadership Team at school. It's a three year term as historian, good thing I can type fast.

Over the summer there will be three days of curriculum work with Mme. K, which will be great planning for next year. We are starting a World Language Seminar, and I hope to have it all on wiki by end of summer.

I am teaching three sessions at Summer Tech: screencasting, wikicentric class, and webquests.

It's a busy summer...see what happens when I don't have to take a class!!!

coos canyon school

coos canyon school, originally uploaded by Amity Beane.

It's the last week of school. Everyone is tired. The rooms are getting broken down. The kids are scrambling for last minute things. It's finals. People are tired and need a break.

Summer vacation is necessary, is essential, for rejuvenation, for remembering why we teach.

My plans, after I finish this stack of grading, and this marathon week of finishing the year out....are to ride my bike, garden, take pictures, and write. A lot.

I love teaching. But I also love summer vacation.

outta nowhere

It just happened.

I was walking down the main hallway when two seniors came out of the ladies' and walked down the hall toward me. They were in caps and gowns, and I smiled and started clapping, and they started dancing towards me, huge smiles. They danced out the door and to the gym to practice marching.

All of a sudden, my chest tightened, and tears came out! I started crying. Those two girls have worked so hard to get to this point. They have had challenges other teens will not face until they are well into their twenties and thirties....They have had to grow up sooner than others and work harder than others to just cross this finish line.

I felt such pride for them and such love for them, that teacher love of launching, even though I didn't launch them, but just cheered them on all year, as they worked in their little round room. The tears rolled, I had my moment, and life went on.

Sunshines......