The End is Near

It is that time of year again.  The time when moms like Laura at 11d and families all over the country have had enough.  School is coming to a close, but yet, this is when ALL extracurricular activities decide to have a performance, projects and assessments HAVE to get done and room parents decide to schedule a barrage of end of the year family events in school.  As a parent I am lucky.  My youngest is 14, independent and beyond his 8th grade moving up ceremony, has very few end of the year events.  But I completely understand the frustration.  This time of year I often think suburban moms have a secret death wish all in an effort to one up the previous years' activities.  If the room parents planned a bubble blowing activity last year, this year they plan a bubble blowing event with Popsicles.

As a teacher the end of the year involves a lot of meetings, daily disruptions and assessments.  I would not mind this so much normally, but I currently work in a therapeutic classroom for students with behavioral and emotional special needs.  Sudden changes to our routine are a big deal.  A day with one assessment is often a challenge, but on Monday my second grade students had both a spelling AND a math assessment.  The spelling assessment involved one sentence with 28 words.  I had to give the assessment over two days with one of my students because he was having a meltdown trying to keep up with my recitation of a ridiculous sentence involving the removal and use of books off a shelf.

Tomorrow is Field Day.  Sound fun?  For most yes, and normally I am an advocate for outdoor activities, but for students who become easily overstimulated and need regular down time, it is a recipe for disaster.  All of the teachers in my program are dreading Field Day.  There are 6 stations and a transition is required between each one.  This is problem #1.  Snack time and lunch time are at atypical times.  Problem #2.  And the situation involves the entire school and is a bit chaotic.  Problem #3.  To top it all off, we have an 1 1/2 hour meeting after the events to talk about our special ed program and how the year has gone. It is a very challenging program for the teachers, so I do look forward to this meeting and all the pent up frustrations coming out -- especially after Field Day.

All I can say is, thank goodness, the end is near and summer can officially begin next week.