We're back where we belong.

The big news is that tomorrow is my last full day of teaching for the 2006/2007 school year. I can't believe how another year has flown by. Next year will be my fifth year of being a teacher; my fourth at my school.

The year end has sort of sneaked up on me. I mean, come May/June, there's always a countdown going on in my head, but this year, I've been so busy that it's like BOOM! and there is one day left. Tomorrow I'm going to play exam review Jeopardy in my classes, and give them treats, and maybe get a little mushy on them.

I love summer vacation, of course, but it's dull compared to the school year. I have my share of days of frustration, where I feel like I'm banging my head against the wall. My school is not especially academic (although there are some really sharp knives mixed in with the spoons, so to speak), and they like to give me some of the more challenging classes to teach, which is actually a compliment. Anyhow, despite the frustrations, I have so much fun at work, and during the summer I miss the little moments that I have during the average day that make me laugh and warm my heart.

So, as an homage to the school year that was, I'm going to share some of my favourite moments from this school year, most of which are from the last few weeks.

*Kid comes in for extra help at lunch before a test. I say "So what do you need help with?" Kid looks at me as if I'm kind of dumb. "Well, science..." he says, as if I was going to help him with English. I bite my tongue and don't point out that science is a rather broad field, and I was hoping that he'd narrow it down for me.

*Kid puts up his hand during a test and asks about a particular question which was "Is your home wired in series or in parallel?" He says "I never thought to look." I do my best not to laugh and explain he is supposed to use his knowledge of circuits to figure it out.

*A couple weekends ago, I tell my period 3 class that I really like them and I'm going to miss them. To which one clever kid replies "Miss, if you're going to miss us so much, why don't you give us 5 more minutes to study for our quiz??" So I do. Then when I say put your books away, it's quiz time, they all say "Miss, but remember you are going to miss us, right? How 'bout 5 more minutes?"

*I have to teach a unit on space, which isn't my favourite because I don't know all of the answers to all the questions they have. One kid asks me "Miss, how long would it take to fly to the moon?" I reply "I don't know, I've never been." They are nice enough to laugh and leave it at that.

Anyhow, I'm going to miss them during the summer. Remind me of this when in August I start writing my whiny "I don't want to go back" posts.