Dakar and the Last Day of School 2010

Here is the plan: No Mali. Instead, we will stay in Dakar, Senegal for four weeks. We are still leaving on Monday from Detroit. We are staying in our hotel for four weeks instead of two. Everything is working out! Woohoo, I'm still leaving in five days!

Well that's settled and I feel better. Today was the last day of school and time to say goodbye to the freshman forever since I will never teach them again. Sure, they'll stop by and say hello and I will keep close relationships with a few of them, but it's not the same as having them in class. These last days are always a little bittersweet for me. This is the worst part about teaching in the freshman academies. I teach all freshman all the time while upperclassmen teachers get to have them in grades tenth through twelve when they are cooler and more mature. Boo. A lot of my freshman this year were pretty cool though. I just wish I could teach (some of them) again. C'est la vie.

Some of my favorite times this school year:

At times this school year, I thought I was having a horrible school year and I felt like I was an awful teacher. However, when I think about everything the kids and I accomplished... it doesn't seem so horrible. I put my grades in today and the only kids who failed were the ones who don't come to school and that is an accomplishment in itself. I think I made this school year more stressful on my own by working two other jobs and taking master's classes at the same time. This is my vow for next school year: Calm down and stop working so many dang jobs.

I feel like there is a weight off of my shoulders. I'll miss the kids, but I'll see them in the fall!