I read this today and it rings so very true:
The last weeks of school is something that few people really understand. When I was in business I often thought that teachers had it easy. To those business people (including my former self) – I ask them to imagine if budgeting, taxes, capital budgets, montly operations review, and quarterly reports were all due in the same 7 days. Ending school is like nothing you experience in business.Cool Cat Teacher Online, project based learning, May 2009
Today is a non-working PED day at our school board, in preparation for the last stretch of the year. Non-working my butt, though. I’m preparing presentations for history tutorials and correcting student writing. Oh, and there’s that 5:30 Lacrosse game this afternoon I need to be at :) Our team is undefeated so far!
I basically come back to myself about 2 weeks after I walk out of the school at the end of June. But, like Vicki, I wouldn’t trade this for the world. In fact, I almost did but couldn’t hack the grieving process that went with it. Not being in the classroom creates a hole in me. I have learned so much from my students this year. I am a different person because of them. They have taught me how to be more me.
I had coffee with a friend of mine – Sebastien Moreau, a wonderful painter – about a month ago and we got to talking about painting. He said,
When I paint it’s like I’m having a conversation with myself
That is how I am starting to feel when I work with students. They help me to have that creative conversation with myself. I don’t get that raw conversation as deeply and as heartfelt anywhere else as I do with them. I almost do when I am painting or gardening. But even then, it is more often than not a continuation of one that began in the classroom. With kids.
I'm Tracy and I've been writing about teaching and learning at Leading From The Heart since February 2007. For more of my story, see
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