We got our weekly update email from our Principal last week saying our end of the year (EOY) checklists would be on their way fairly soon. I'm hoping they wait until after teacher appreciation week. ;)
Thankfully before Christmas break they made our deadline a day early, because it's inevitable that the district calls at the last minute & let's us leave early :) but we wind up running around trying to finish everything cuz all our stuff was due the very last day. Hopefully that's what admin decides to do again for EOY.
There's another reason that I've got my fingers crossed for early checklist deadline; I made mention of a decision I recently made in my March Currently post. Our school got its allotments for next year and basically our team is losing 2 slots, not 2 teachers, but 2 spots. They encouraged us to volunteer to move, otherwise they would move us without our having a choice. It was pretty much decided as we all stood around that everyone was planning to stay in 2nd grade.
I've said it many times before ever since I've been in 2nd grade the past 4 years we've had an amazing group of teachers. Everyone worked hard & we all got along. We spend time with each other outside of school. When I first began in the classroom, on of the teachers, she's retired now, always planned dinners for our birthdays. We don't do birthday dinners, but we go out the first Friday, well Thursday now, for dinner just to unwind & relax and vent with each other. No one wanted to leave to team.
Our principal & appraiser were walking past us after our meeting and made mention of the possibility of looping up with our class to 3rd grade. Jokingly I said I'd do it, cuz I have an amazing class this year, moving with a class I already knew would make learning new curriculum a bit easier. They know my management style & I'd be able to jump right into content a lot sooner than if I had to build classroom/teams, etc.
A few weeks later my appraiser talked to me about possibly going to 4th grade. Yeah, that's a bigger jump than 2nd to 3rd. But the more I thought about it, I adore the ladies on that team and they genuinely get along too. I know some of them are leaving or planning moves elsewhere, whether it be to another grade level or another campus, but they still seemed nice & welcoming. I told my appraiser that if I had the choice I'd prefer 4th, even though it's also the year of the writing test, eek!
Well, Friday my principal called me into her office and offered me a 4th grade spot, and since the TAG teacher left the grade level and is moving to 5th grade, she asked if I wanted the TAG class. I accepted with a resounding "Yes!"
While I was in the "Principal's Office" most of my current team was doing their EOY mtgs with our appraiser. They all made comments about breaking up the team, and how they were unhappy about it. Since I volunteered to move another one of our team mates will also have to move & so it now a closing of one chapter and the opening of another.
That's how it is it seems, the teaching profession, forever changing and the teachers & children evolving every single year. Each one is different.
I'm crazy nervous & excited about next year. I'll have to move classrooms, AGAIN, AAAAGGGHHHH!
Of course I'll also be planning for it come June 7th, the day after we get out of school ;) Happy thoughts & prayers are welcome!
~Darnee~
