I'm Back!

I know it's been a while since I last wrote, but believe it or not, I've had nothing earth shattering to share. That has changed. School is out in three days and life is good! Now, don't mis-understand me, I love my job, it's just that summer vacation can't get here soon enough.

For those of you who don't know, I teach 9th grade English. Although, this year I am also teaching World Geography, Civics, and Free Enterprise. I made the mistake of telling my new principal I had a degree in Social Studies and English and now I am the newest Social Studies teacher at my school. It's not too bad. In fact, I like the World Geography course and the kids in my Civics & Free Enterprise class are great.

I say I'm a high-school English teacher, but the last couple of years I apparently lost my mind and took a job teaching middle school at an inner-city junior high. God, was that an experience. I also went crazy and for four months "tried" to teach 7th and 8th grade Special Ed English. I couldn't get out of there quick enough. Now, I'm happily back in the high school environment, but I digress. Summer vacation starts in three days.

I plan to give finals on Monday (tomorrow) and Tuesday (the next day) and then say good-bye to my kids for two and a half months. That's the plan. Of course, several of them will be at the school house on Wedsnesday to "help" teachers clean their rooms and pack books for the coming year. I say "help", but they mostly just want to hang out in the classrooms and talk about each other and be the teacher's friend. That's okay for some, but I personally don't need any 16 year old friends. I had 16 year old friends when I was 16 and they always got me in trouble. Chances are, things haven't changed that much.

As soon as I can leave on Wedsnesday, "I am a gone pecone." (I don't know where that crazy saying comes from, but my baby brother, Rodney, uses it all the time and I just love it.) I'm going to call Amtrak on Wedsnesday afternoon and book two seats on the train to Philadelphia and make arrangements for the dog to go to the dog hotel and then I plan to sleep for about two days. Ah, summer is looking good.

Oh no! I just looked at the school calendar and school starts early this year. We lose two weeks of vacation. Summer vacation is shrinking and it's not even here yet. This must be some kind of government plan to turn teachers into regular people with "real jobs." This isn't right! Something must be done! Of course, it won't be done during the summer. Everyone knows, teachers can't function in the summer. Wait until September and then the shit will hit the fan.
Hope you have a great summer!