The Fat Lady is getting ready to sing....

The end is near...and NO I have not been watching 2012!

This week coming up we have PASS testing...our version of CYA for No Child Left Behind. My little friends have been reviewed-to-death and most of them are ready! The ones who are not, there is nothing more I can do. I cannot possibly analyze one more poem, do one more math problem involving division, give one more example of a simile (or metaphor, personification, alliteration or hyperbole), recall one more fact about Native Americans, Explorers, the American Revolution, Civil War, World Wars I & II or the Civil Rights Movement from South Carolina's perspective. Their cute little heads will explode if I try and cram one more fact in there. We'll just have to see where the chips fall (and their scores).

This week our school sent home intent letters for single gender, to see if parents wanted their children to continue in the single gender program at our school. I have only gotten about half of the letters back from my boys' parents and for the most part, the ones who are thriving in the program will be back. The ones who have caused a little craziness this year (and feed off of it) won't.

I know I have a job next year, and at my current school, I am just not sure what grade I will be teaching and if I will be looping with my current class (at least the ones who have signed on to continue single gender). Hopefully I will have a better idea in the coming weeks.

I have a lave/hate relationship with the 2 1/2 weeks of school following our PASS testing. I love it because testing is over. We talk about this test from Day One of the school year , and quite frankly I am a little tired of talking about it (and I am certain my little friends are too). I am ready for it to be done with!! BUT...once the testing s complete, we still have 2 1/2 more weeks. We are still required to teach, and IMHO is it just busywork. Why not hold off giving the test until the last week and then just send them home to their parents for 10 weeks? We do have fun things going on--SOARfest (a day where we have giant inflatables on the playground for the kids to climb, jump and slide on)...Awards day, Field Day, Class parties....lots of things...And they are turning on books the week after testing so....what' a teacher to do? I am planning a novel unit on An Indian in the Cupboard (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that book!!)....and we are going to review and test our final Unit in Social Studies (we did not get to the test before PASS review began).

But the end is so close I can smell the suntan lotion and taste the margaritas!!! At noon on June 3rd, I will be doing the Happy Dance and waving farewell to my little friends for the summer. 27 hours later and it will be celebration time!!!