Phew!

It's over. My 4th year of teaching came to a sudden halt at 3:00 last Friday.

The end of the school year, the actual ending moment, is so poignant. It is a sharp mix of relief, given that all the craziness and paperwork and documentation that accompanies the end of the year must necessarily soon come to an end, with a pervasive sense of loss as the kids you've spent so much of your time with, watching them grow as young people for 10 months, are leaving you, never again to be part of the classroom community so painstakingly and carefully built day by day.

One of my kid's moms said a very interesting thing as she came to pick up her daughter. She thanked me for all my efforts and all I had done, saying I was the best teacher, that she felt the work we had done together was comparable to the rigor of a private school education. Very interesting. I'll definitely take that as a compliment!

I hate to see them go. As I reflect back on the year, I see gaps, I see missed opportunities, I see quite clearly where we would go next if I had the chance to be with them again, for another year. But our system isn't set up that way - instead they'll be placed with teachers who know only their test scores and writing samples, teachers who know nothing of the accomplishments both big and small of my students this year, of the tremendous courage so many of them have shown through the adversity of difficult home situations. Teachers who don't know that when A. had the guts to read her D.A.R.E. essay to all 85 fifth graders and their parents at our D.A.R.E. graduation, she wasn't just speaking in the abstract; she was speaking about her own mom's battles with addictions and how it had made the last 8 months of her life so very lonely.

So a week off, and then summer school. Come August 23rd, the cycle begins anew.

I get an F?

So I'm at school right now, about a quarter to 11 at night, doing report card comments. Only 21 students so it ought to be easy enough and not take too much time, right? Well, in theory, yes, but nearly all of them I have to write in Spanish and trying to be both insightful and bilingual when you're exhausted ain't so easy.

If on my own report card was a section for "Regular bloggin'" I might receive an F. Seriously, when I first started this thing, I was writing day after day (that lasted about a week or so). But I've since lost my home internet connection, and haven't had time to get a new one, so my opportunities are limited. Right now I'm just procrastinating. Thus, a blog is born.

Only 3 more school days left. The thing about the end of a school year is that you're too tired to really enjoy it. For example, my list of things to do in the last two weeks has included the aforementioned report cards, planning for our class pool party, planning the 5th grade field trip to Santa Cruz, filling out the pink and blue student info sheets for my student's teachers next year, making next year's class lists, filling out the permanent record cards (yes, there is such a thing as your permanent record; permanent? no, but they do get held on to for something like 50 years, with all your state test scores, all the schools you've been to, your class photos, and such), getting ready for the DARE graduation, getting ready for our 5th grade graduation, planning the First Annual Rm. 41 Chess Tournament, meeting with the subcommittee of our governing board on policy and procedures for director evaluations, meeting with the school subcommittee on retention and interventions, and of course on top of all that was the usual planning, teaching, assessments, monitoring meetings with the director, etc.

I'm too emotionally drained to express much of the appreciation I normally feel for my parting colleagues (we're losing a lot of really good teachers this year). I've got to save my emotional energy for my students. Still so much to do tonight and the next two nights before the year is out. So maybe I should stop writing here then? Ok.

We are the Champions!

You did it, folks... you have given us the title of Best IMers in the Land and a free trip to Hawaii!

You also gave us six nights of fun as we IMed with you, emailed with you, talked to you on the phone... I am humbled by all of your efforts to give us this special recognition. I extend a very sincere and deep thank you!

So yes, we'll be on our way to Hawaii. My guess is some time in August. Will you be coming with us? Word on the street is that Yahoo! will make that announcemet this Friday! Good luck!

Check your inboxes soon as well - we'll be emailing out our victory announcement as well as soliciting your addresses - we promised to send you all postcards!

The real battle begins

So we made it to the final four - what once was 8,000 has now become 8.

I haven't been around a computer for about a day and a half - I've been sick! Add that to the loss of my home wireless internet connection (alas, my neighbors moved!) and I've been tough to get a hold of.

The Mark and Darron Show will be on again tonight, same time, same place - 5 to 8 PST, or 8 to 11 EST. We really need your votes! Come visit

http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/messengerlive/index.php

The question is: whom would you want to hang out in Hawaii with? If you vote for us and we win, you greatly increase your chances of winning a trip to Hawaii - with US! Just imagine, you with us, hanging out at the beach, surfing, snorkeling, tanning, and what not.

If you have a web page, please let us know! We'll put a link to you on our sites! Wish us luck!

The Quest for the Final Four

So far, so good. The Mark and Darron Show lives to see another day. After coming in first on Tuesday and second on Wednesday, we return for a third triumphant night tonight, Thursday, 6/3, again between 5 and 8 PST (8 to 11 EST).

Please tune in and vote! Even though we've had some success thus far, fine, high quality, intellectually stimulating programming like The Mark and Darron Show cannot survive without your vote.

Go to:
http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/messengerlive/index.php to vote

Having trouble voting?
http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/messengerlive/faq/vote_faq.html for answers to all your questions.

Thanks to all of you who have been supporting us! Any ideas for what you'd like to see on the show? Email us at sendus2hawaii@yahoo.com!