Teaching is not a perfect science. Every day teachers go into classrooms and do their best--we want our students to thrive. We also work together to advocate for the best supports and systems with regard to teaching well. There is always more that we can do, and we're open to that. Yet it's important that we don't fool ourselves thinking we can be super-human as we all have our limitations too. Educators who strike a good balance in life do better than those that overwork and underplay--there's needs to be good dedication to school and good dedication to one's personal life too.
Thinking about balance and also thinking about priorities, it's time to stay focused on the end-of-the-year events with care and kindness.
Students are clearly ready for summer, and they are clearly feeling all kinds of emotions as they end their tenure as elementary school students. We've rightly pushed them in these last six weeks and each and every time they rose to the challenge as evidenced by their amazing musical, super effort on multiple standardized tests, wonderful presentations or the biography project, super cardboard challenge arcade, and now some remaining efforts to learn about rivers and their local habitat.
In the final days, we'll go on a couple of good hikes, complete river packets, distribute Jr. River Ranger badges, listen to a safety talk, and have a wonderful final day of school. We're very proud of our fifth graders. They've made a lot of progress. Onward.
