End in Sight

It's almost here.  The end of all state testing, the end of the year, waiting to see what I'll be doing next year, it's all coming to an end and I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.  It's been a rough month with everything going full tilt at work and the disasters that happened at home.  I can finally start to breath and relax a little which means I can finally sleep.  I no longer need a whole pot of coffee to get through the day and then fall on the couch too exhausted to even fix my family dinner.  I can now focus on my plans for summer, which is CRAZY busy BTW, and stop freaking out every 5 minutes that the other shoe is going to drop any time now. 
It feels so nice not stressing out over every minor detail of whatever is going on.  I'm getting do all the fun things that I love about working in a high school.  Prom, graduation, spring football, senior activities, field trip that can finally happen because state testing is over, field day, labs that we now have time for because we are done with the curriculum, etc.  Teachers seem to also let loose this time of year as well, except for senior teachers who are trying to hunt down those seniors who seem to think they've already graduated and need that last credit to be able to walk across that stage.  Real learning happens right now when students are able to explore the subjects they are studying and grapple with difficult material with no pressures of an End of Course Exam looming over their heads.  Its a time to celebrate that WE'VE MADE IT THROUGH ANOTHER YEAR!  (Teachers included in that sentiment.)  Now is the time to kiss our seniors goodbye and remember when they were crazy freshmen who couldn't sit still even if you duct taped their butts to a chair...I have never done that, only wished I could.  It's time to say goodbye to colleagues who are retiring and give them a congratulatory pat on the back for being able to last so long in education.  It's also time to say goodbye to new friends that were made this year because people are being transferred or are seeking opportunities elsewhere.  Time to pack up rooms and throw out all the lessons that you and your students worked so hard on throughout the year hoping that you will not find a petrified science project in one of your lab tables.  Time to watch another group of students walk across the stage, shake hands with their principal, and then throw that diploma up in the air and scream "I did it!"
Oh yes, the end is in sight indeed.