This is my 15th year as a teacher. I've never taken a break. Well, I did take three maternity leaves (although my administrator did a happy dance when my last child was born in July ten days early).
Every time I tried to quit, another job fell in my lap. The universe must really want me to teach Spanish.
I have literally taught all ages, levels, and settings. I'm not exaggerating. I've taught preschool, high school, virtual, brick and mortar, suburban, inner city.....and I never taught a single way I didn't like.
Doesn't matter how old they are or where they live. Doesn't matter if they have an elf on the shelf at home. Doesn't matter if they celebrate Hannukah, Kwanza, or nothing because they are Jehovah's Witnesses. Doesn't matter how much they like you as a person, whether they hate Spanish or not. (I've had several over the years tell me they hate Spanish, but I'm their favorite teacher.)
I know one thing to be true.
The last day before the holiday break....all the kids go crazy.
No one wants to conjugate a verb, or learn about Las Posadas in Mexico or the Reyes Magos in Spain.
And honestly..I don't want to teach it either...I want to get two weeks off just to be who I am.
I am not the only one who feels this way....even fictional teachers deal with it....here it comes...
In Harry Potter and the Goblet of the Fire, each teacher had a different way to approach the holidays and the dance coming along with it.
Flitwick gave up and let them play charm games.....
Snape gave a test (on poison antidotes no less, talk about a buzz kill)....
Binns just kept droning away about Goblin Rebellions.... (Sidenote- I always found it fascinating that he was such a boring teacher, yet he loved it enough to keep doing it after his death...or perhaps he didn't know what else to do???)
McGonagall was business as usual.....
Tomorrow is my last day for, as my colleague Heidi said, eighteen days off in a row. My "Student children" are working on some projects they have enjoyed doing and get to present them on the web cams. That's a good way to end the semester.
THEN my own "personal" children and I are spending the evening baking cookies, lighting Advent candles, watching Christmas Classic movies, and practicing lines for the Christmas pageant. Wouldn't you know it, Kenneth begged for a speaking part? By the time he finishes 5th grade he will probably have played everybody. I know I did. It makes for good memoir writing. :0)
We need to come up with a special name for the last day of school before the holidays! Other than "last day of school" of course....
Witty and clever suggestions are always welcome....
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