Elation!

Just a quick note to inform all of you that I finished filling out my last report card earlier this evening. I will proofread them tomorrow, so I'm not completely scot-free, but I'm still feeling pretty fine.

I can't believe I survived this month. It's been the busiest June on record for me, and that's saying something!

July is so close I think I can taste it. (Then again, that could just be all of those weekend barbecues repeating on me.)

Freedom, here I come!

I'm All Barbecued Out!

This weekend I attended six barbecues. These were no ordinary barbecues, mind you. They were those extra-special community-type barbecues where you must leave your vegetables at the door. Only carnivores and carbivores allowed!

It started Friday at noon, when the school where I teach held their community barbecue.

Friday at suppertime, our boys' school had theirs.

Saturday morning was #3's soccer wind-up game, followed by a noon barbecue. Saturday afternoon was #1's soccer wind-up, followed by an early afternoon barbecue.

A little later on Saturday was #1's birthday party at which we treated five 12- and 13-year-old boys to - you guessed it - a barbecue. (Ed. note: Mini-carrots were offered at this one. Of course, I was the only one who ate them.)

Sunday afternoon was #2's softball wind-up, followed by yet one more barbecue.

Really, by Sunday afternoon, even the boys couldn't look at a hamburger or a hotdog.

We all went home and treated ourselves to a homegrown lettuce salad with all the trimmings - and not a barbecued item in sight!

And Now From the "I Wish I Had This Problem" Department

The latest excuse for not handing in homework on time:

Dear Mrs. LibraryMama,

Little darling cannot hand her homework in today because the cleaning lady moved it and we can't find it.

Sincerely,
Little Darling's Mom

Happy Day to #1!

Just a very quick entry to let everyone far and wide know that, as of today, I am the parent of a teenager!

Today is #1's thirteenth birthday.

Happy birthday, big guy!

Proud Mama

I have to quickly jot down my thoughts about this morning before the day races by.

This morning, my #1 participated in a youth-led service at the church. I was so incredibly proud of him!

There were six kids between the ages of 11 and 14 who, under the patient guidance of our minister, led the entire service: the music, the prayers, the sermon, and they even managed to include some drama.

#1 presented part of the sermon, acted as Goliath in the drama, and played his saxophone and his guitar. I quietly sat back and tried not to get too emotional in light of his accomplishments.

The piece de resistance was once we got home, though, and Main Man - my confirmed Buddhist husband who had attended the service in support of #1 - hugged me and thanked me for raising our kids as church-goers. Even he was overwhelmed with the fantastic vibe emanating from these great kids.

It does feel good to know that I have had a part, however small, in providing the opportunity for #1 to meet such wonderful friends.

Wendy Whiner Sees the Light

Do you remember that series of sketches on Saturday Night Live featuring Doug and Wendy Whiner?

I'm afraid I've been quite the Wendy Whiner lately, and I'm sorry for that.

I've managed to lose many of my regular readers and even more of my regular commenters. Thank you so much to those of you who have stuck with me through my slump.

Right now, what I most regret is how churlish I've been to the parents where I teach. Granted, there are some parents there who don't really understand the concept of cooperating, and who seem determined to stir up problems that essentially don't exist, but there are also many wonderful parents who seek only to support us and, more importantly, support their children.

Friday, immediately after I was observed in my classroom by my principal, I walked into our library to be greeted by three tables full of appetizing salads, fresh bread and rolls, beautifully displayed meat and cheese trays, and decadent desserts. Our school council (AKA PTA) had planned a lunch for our staff during Teacher Appreciation Week in February, but scheduling conflicts had created problems. They decided to postpone the luncheon until June, and I can't think of a more wonderful day to have it. (Although, because I felt weak with relief due to the completion of my observation, I ate way too much. Oh well! C'est la vie.)

It was a truly wonderful lunch - and it seemed to be made-to-order for my situation.

Unexpected

So much for sleeping well last night...

I'm nursing a respiratory infection that, during the day is mildly annoying, not really enough to slow me down very much.

At night, though, as soon as I lie down, it becomes this hurricane of coughing. Finally, at 3:18 a.m., I had some hot lemon medicine and slept quite a bit better after that. Still, no rest for the weary. It's 7:30ish now, and I'm preparing to spend the day at the school amid my mountains of marking.

Hope I can keep my wits about me.

I find my heart a little lighter this evening. And it's probably for a very silly reason.

I wonder if you remember that months ago I mentioned that this is my year to be formally observed and evaluated by the administration of my school.

This should not be all that stressful for me. I mean, after all, I've taught for 19 years. What are they going to do, fire me?

Not to mention that I've received numerous commendations from my division administration, often after parents have contacted them with glowing accounts of my teaching.

Why do I still - quite literally - lose sleep over this?

My principal is my friend. He and I share a laugh at least once a day, often more. Why do I burn up with nerves, my face red and my shirt sticky, when he is sitting in my desk, watching me teach?

There really is no reason for all of this silliness.

The good news is that today, I experienced my last observation - for the next four years, anyway.

My lesson went really well. The students, thinking that he was there to observe them instead of me, behaved extremely well. Almost too well. My principal was taking down data on my classroom management skills, and there weren't any situations to manage. Still, that's a nice problem to have.

We met after the lesson to "debrief", and he spoke about how my voice compelled people to listen when I speak. He spoke of a mutual respect that was evident in my class. He spoke of how the lesson flowed calmly and naturally.

As he spoke of all of this, all I could think about was how well I would sleep tonight.

Stay on Track

Today is track and field day at the school.

I am in charge of the high jump event. I enjoy this day, but I worry a lot about injuries at my event. I worry that someone will land heavily on top of the bar and hurt his or her back. I worry that they will fall off the mat with momentum and hit their head on the hard ground. I worry that they will slip and fall backwards. It's the lunch break now, and so far, so good.

It's a beautiful day - clear blue sky, burning sun, slight breeze - perfect for track. Luckily this year I remembered my sunscreen.

June...

... bleeeccccchhhhhh!

June will be such a blur. In addition to year-end recitals and concerts, there will be the Cancer Society's Relay for Life, in which #1 and I are participating. It is an all night walk-a-thon. Why it has to be overnight is beyond me, but I signed up because our church school is participating in honour of our friend and fellow teacher who died of cancer last November. I'm trying to be positive about it, but I'm afraid it will ruin me. I'm one of those people who really need their sleep, and June is my busiest month.

Oh, we're also chasing after 6 soccer and softball games every week.

And this weekend there's a multicultural festival in town (3 evenings) that the kids really want to go to, and we really want to take them to. We've never been before, and that is really a travesty, because it is quite the phenomenon!

Oh - and in the midst of all the hoop-la this month, I have to complete all of my report cards.

I will try to blog as often as I can, but if I miss for a while, forgive me.

Summer holidays are on their way! (That's the idea that gets me through.)