THREE DAYS LEFT!

Here's a quick weekend recap for you. It was a busy one... Friday night was the graduation dance. Saturday morning I had to take a 2-hour test for my Reading Specialist certification (which was HARD). On Saturday night, I went to the Blarney with Sam, Heather and MK. I was exhausted by midnight (I was up pretty early for the test), so we didn't stay too late. But the ride home was hysterical. Drunk Heather decided to rave in the backseat of my car. It was an elaborate process involving invisible glow sticks and rap.

Sunday was 8th grade graduation. It was cute. The kids had their caps and gowns (we didn't have caps at my 8th grade graduation...) and after the ceremony, they ran around hugging each other and crying. Well, the girls did. The boys just made jokes and looked uncomfortable with the attention. Bride-zilla was at the ceremony (she used to teach second grade at our school, and this year's graduating class was the first class that she taught), so afterwards we went to lunch at Freddy and Tony's, a fabulous Puerto Rican restaurant. I had pastelillos de carne and arroz guisado y habichuelas, and I split a plate of tostones with her. YUM.

And then it was back to work. I hate the end of the school year. I mean, I like that summer is coming, but I hate the stress of the end-of-the-year checklist. This week, I have to do the following:

• grade 4 different sets of exams
• average 3rd trimester grades and final grades
• put the grades in the gradebook, on the report cards, and on the permanent record cards
• clean my entire classroom
• pack up anything laying around the room and store as much as I can in the closets
• make an honors list and an awards list
• put together each child's permanent portfolio
• come up with a game for Spirit Day
• put together the kids' end-of-the-year gift (bubbles and some candy in a little gift bag)

It wouldn't be so bad if I had the classroom to myself... but I've got the kids from 8-12 every morning. Three more days, and it's all over. Until September. Well, August, really... cuz that's when we go back to set up.

Okay... that was a long enough break. Back to my checklist.