End-of-Year Happenings

So I know that everyone has busy times in their jobs (accountants are crazy in April, lawyers are crazy before a trial, etc.), but this blog isn't about lawyers or accountants...it's about teachers and what public school teachers are expected to do every day.

Our last day of school this year is May 15...YAY! I had no idea before I became a teacher that teachers actually look forward to summer MORE than their students do. Funny. Anyway, we're out so early this year because all year we've had an extra 30 minutes tacked on to every day (we go from 8:15am to 4:15pm) so we could get out in May because they are FINALLY putting air conditioning in our building!! No more sweaty Augusts and bees flying around because we have the windows opened!

That sounds great, right? We get out before Memorial Day, we get air conditioning, everyone is happy? Wrong. It has created so much extra stress and work for us. Here's a list of things I need to get done before May 15. Keep in mind that I have students ALL day every day between now and then and I have to do most of this on my own time:

*Final grades and report cards

*ILP's (Individualized Learning Plans...these are literacy documents showing how I've helped my students that are reading below grade level. They must be signed by the parents and in their files. They are tedious and take forever.)

*Cummulative Reports (these take about 2 hours to do...they are a summary of a students' performance that follows them to the next grade)

*Create work for the students to do over the summer

*Get ready for Student-Led Conferences this week (I have to stay till 7pm on Wed and Thurs this week...fun)

*Order supplies from the district for next year

*Order all copies from the district for next year

*Create Back-to-School supply list for parents for next year

*Create class lists for next year

*Attend two staffings (generally about 1 hour each) for each of my 3 special ed students

*Attend a retention meeting for the one student that I have enough data for to hold back

*Take home my microwave, refrigerator and personal stuff

*Pack up my ENTIRE room for construction...this means ALL books, all computers, my document camera and projector, my games and puzzles, my art supplies, my files, my centers, my coat closet, my bookcases, desks, my stacks and stacks and stacks of student books, EVERYTHING. All of it needs to boxed, stacked and ready to go in a designated spot in my classroom by 4pm on May 17 because the construction people are coming in then.

*Test every single kid to see their reading levels. This takes about 20 minutes per kid

*Enter all this data into the system

*Give the MAPS test to every single kid...3 times. Enter data and create spreadsheets to put into their files

*Sign off on my special ed kids goals for the year

*I'm part of the team that hosts the Volunteer Tea for the parents who help out. We need to set up, buy stuff, make tea, etc.

*I'm also part of the team that is hosting the Retirement Party for the retiring teachers...we have to set up, buy stuff, etc.

I think that's it???? Oh wait...I still have to teach kids! I still have lesson plans to do, homework to grade, reading groups to manage, etc. We have to do it quickly because we have so much to cover since our year is 3 weeks short...we haven't even gotten to multiplication yet...

I'm starting to hyperventilate, so I better stop writing and start grading or packing or something...