It's the end of the year as we know it.
Ever since I can remember, songs have helped me work through things. Nothing crazy or life altering. Just help me process what my thoughts are. Sometimes it's not even the full song, just a phrase. The title of this post just came as I was typing and the song just flowed out. As I finished this post, the second part of the lyrics (and I feel fine) slowly started to ring true.....
Today marks the last week of school, with Thursday being the last virtual school day for both TK and M. Anyone else feel weird?
Just a few weeks ago, it felt like the weeks were dragging on. Normally the kids would be inundated with state testing, finals and such. Instead, they were inundated with virtual work. Some of it felt like just checking a box for the day, while other assignments were work. There didn't seem to be any real lead up to this week, it's just here and we're done. A dusting off of the hands, kind of feeling. I was able to clean out the computer lab last week, grabbing all my personal belongings. It felt weird walking down the hallways where all the desks were piled up. There were no kids around to help clean out those desks. There was no smell of the shaving cream they used to clean the tops off. No joyful chatter as they new the next week would be filled with parties and such.
Instead, we are left with the feeling that there is just something missing. This week would have been filled with cleaning classrooms and enjoying Field Day (man this years' field day was going to be the bomb and not just because I was the Chair for it, lol.) But here we are. Not really in school, but not really out of it. There is no real closure happening. No big parties. No final farewells and hugs. There are the bags of belonging that will be coming home this week, which in a way is still the same. This Friday, the Elementary and Middle school will be doing a parade for the students on base, so maybe that will be a sense of closure? It would be nice to have a HUGE city wide parade down 10th street, but that would defeat the purpose of social distancing.
The end of year is always sad, pandemic or not. We know there will be students we won't see again, ever. Staff members leaving, as well. There is always that sense of relief the year is over and sadness that we are saying goodbye, however this year feels like there is more sadness than the joyful celebration that we survived another school year. However this year should be different. We not only survived another school year, but we all survived a school year that had a significant change just as it was coming to a close. What we expected of our teachers and students, is far beyond anything we have before and we expected them to achieve it in mere days. We should be celebrating that, plus the fact that it is the end of the year.
This year, I survived my first year of being the Lab Manager/ floating substitute. I can honestly say, I LOVED my job. I loved being able to see so many students come into the lab. I loved the days I was pulled into the classroom and being able to help those kids for the day. My coworkers are by far some of the best I have ever had, the compassion and love for their job showing day in and day out. Not only were there changes to the end of the year, but we know of more changes the horizon. I'm not sure if I will be lucky enough to keep the job I have in the lab, or if something else will become of these changes. I wish I could have said goodbye to the kiddo's I saw daily, knowing some will be moving away. Hopefully I will be lucky enough to see them out and about.
Now that I have the Debby Downer thoughts out there, maybe the happy thoughts will come. The excitement that summer is here, has slowly been creeping out. We "might" get to go see family during summer break. We won't be stuck on computers all day long, for working/school purposes. There is the sense of relaxation that is on the horizon. We finished this year and it was hard. It made us aware of the things we enjoy the most and the things we can live without. I know that when our teachers at HES get to teach in their classrooms again, there will be an even bigger sense of joy and love for their students/job. They already pour their hearts into teaching, can you imagine the impact it's going to have on their classroom when we get back? Our kids are so lucky.
So, here we are.....
<3 p="">
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| HES Computer Lab is ready for summer. |
Today marks the last week of school, with Thursday being the last virtual school day for both TK and M. Anyone else feel weird?
Just a few weeks ago, it felt like the weeks were dragging on. Normally the kids would be inundated with state testing, finals and such. Instead, they were inundated with virtual work. Some of it felt like just checking a box for the day, while other assignments were work. There didn't seem to be any real lead up to this week, it's just here and we're done. A dusting off of the hands, kind of feeling. I was able to clean out the computer lab last week, grabbing all my personal belongings. It felt weird walking down the hallways where all the desks were piled up. There were no kids around to help clean out those desks. There was no smell of the shaving cream they used to clean the tops off. No joyful chatter as they new the next week would be filled with parties and such.
Instead, we are left with the feeling that there is just something missing. This week would have been filled with cleaning classrooms and enjoying Field Day (man this years' field day was going to be the bomb and not just because I was the Chair for it, lol.) But here we are. Not really in school, but not really out of it. There is no real closure happening. No big parties. No final farewells and hugs. There are the bags of belonging that will be coming home this week, which in a way is still the same. This Friday, the Elementary and Middle school will be doing a parade for the students on base, so maybe that will be a sense of closure? It would be nice to have a HUGE city wide parade down 10th street, but that would defeat the purpose of social distancing.
The end of year is always sad, pandemic or not. We know there will be students we won't see again, ever. Staff members leaving, as well. There is always that sense of relief the year is over and sadness that we are saying goodbye, however this year feels like there is more sadness than the joyful celebration that we survived another school year. However this year should be different. We not only survived another school year, but we all survived a school year that had a significant change just as it was coming to a close. What we expected of our teachers and students, is far beyond anything we have before and we expected them to achieve it in mere days. We should be celebrating that, plus the fact that it is the end of the year.
This year, I survived my first year of being the Lab Manager/ floating substitute. I can honestly say, I LOVED my job. I loved being able to see so many students come into the lab. I loved the days I was pulled into the classroom and being able to help those kids for the day. My coworkers are by far some of the best I have ever had, the compassion and love for their job showing day in and day out. Not only were there changes to the end of the year, but we know of more changes the horizon. I'm not sure if I will be lucky enough to keep the job I have in the lab, or if something else will become of these changes. I wish I could have said goodbye to the kiddo's I saw daily, knowing some will be moving away. Hopefully I will be lucky enough to see them out and about.
Now that I have the Debby Downer thoughts out there, maybe the happy thoughts will come. The excitement that summer is here, has slowly been creeping out. We "might" get to go see family during summer break. We won't be stuck on computers all day long, for working/school purposes. There is the sense of relaxation that is on the horizon. We finished this year and it was hard. It made us aware of the things we enjoy the most and the things we can live without. I know that when our teachers at HES get to teach in their classrooms again, there will be an even bigger sense of joy and love for their students/job. They already pour their hearts into teaching, can you imagine the impact it's going to have on their classroom when we get back? Our kids are so lucky.
So, here we are.....
<3 p="">
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