Funny...

Well, one thing I can do now is spend more time on the internet! I found this site: http://graphjam.com/. Very funny. I can't figure out how to copy one of the graphs onto this blog, bu I'm working on it.

Finally, the last day...

Today was my last day!! An old friend who is a retired teacher came to help me finish cleaning out everything. I probably never would have gotten finished, otherwise. We went out to eat lunch instead of going to the official school cookout. Then, I went back to attend the county-wide reception for retirees. Well, here’s how that went.

First, teachers from the primary school and their principal went up. The principal talked a long time about the merits of these teachers. The teachers cried. Some other teachers in the audience spoke up about the merits of these teachers. Some more people cried. The elementary school principal then went up. Only one teacher was retiring from there. The principal and the teacher cried. You get the picture.

Next up, the middle school principal is a very tall man who, fortunately, did not cry. However, the retirees and some audience members did cry. Finally, it was time for the high school. By this time, I was getting very restless. Too much crying going on, speeches going on too long, etc. When my assistant principal went up, I said, “You aren’t going to cry, are you???” Then some stories were told about the time I wore my dress backwards to the stage on honors night. Then someone admitted to rolling my yard one night a long time ago, and thanked me for not letting my husband shoot her. Anyhow, NOBODY CRIED during my time. THANK GOODNESS. I received a nice glass apple with my name on the back and some money. I grabbed my daughter and hit the road. My family and I went to Target and out to eat, so I spent the money. I am now AT HOME. I have no big old pile of papers to grade and no lessons to plan. I might feel a little left out in the fall when school starts back, but right now I am feeling damn good! This calls for a happy dance!

A chocolate bar, a jug of wine, and thou...

Today was a long day. I finally managed to get my checkout sheet initialed by all the appropriate people. This, even though I was thrown out of the office because I was questioning why we needed to print out grades and absences from the first semester when the office people could get them from the computer. No one knew how to get PowerGrade to print out reports from the first semester with grades and absences on them. Our records clerk emailed them to everyone so we would have them. I said, "Let me be sure I understand this. I'm going back down to my room to print out something you already have?" The AP said, "She doesn't already have it." I said, "Well, if she emailed it to me a minute ago, she has it." They all laughed and said, "Just get out! Get out of the office, Mrs. About -to-Retire!" I went to lunch with people from my hall (that part was cool). My friend gave me a bottle of wine and a chocolate bar as a retirement gift! My friend who teaches Spanish wasn't at school, since her daughter was having a baby. My DD helped me throw out workbooks and such, then she got bored. I imagine it was a really long day for her. Age 11 is not an ideal age to spend hanging about in empty school rooms. She did work really hard.

About today...

Today is the day my father passed away last year. This has been in the back of my mind all day. I have been having trouble with my emotions because I just always imagined he would be here when my older daughter graduated and that he would be here when I retired. He isn't here. I have a really difficult time talking about it, especially to my brother and my mother. He just isn't here. It was the worst thing I have ever experienced, I am far from over it, and here it is, a year later. We've gone through a father's day, his birthday, my younger daughter's and my birthday (it's on the same date), Christmas, New Year's, his and mama's anniversary, Valentine's Day, my brother's birthday, my mother's birthday, my niece's birthday, Easter, Mother's Day, and now, the year has come around again. Life does go on.

The picture is one of my favorites, when Daddy graduated from college when I was not-quite-two.

Because old ladies ROCK!

Today was a reception for my retirement. I have spent thirty years at this school. I freely admit that I am "burned out." Anyway, the social studies teacher who taught next door to me for 29 years came, and everyone still at the school came. They gave me a beautiful white rocking chair with my name on the back. When I got home, my daughter asked me why they gave me a rocking chair. I said, "Because I'm retiring...because old ladies rock!" Some people told stories, such as the never-to-be-forgotten time I wore my dress backwards to honors night (well, it had no buttons or zipper, and was a very simple design...except that it did have a pocket which I wore on my shoulder blade...) It was a very nice time. I didn't cry, but I did come close. I am just too relieved to be sad. The stress has been great these past few years.

I have a little more cleaning to do and some paperwork due. Thursday is a county-wide reception for the four people who are retiring. Tomorrow, something I greatly prefer, my comrades on my hall are taking me out to lunch. Almost done...

Almost the end: Time to color outside the lines!

Okay, so I did a terrible job of blogging about my experience during my last year at school! It just points out the main problem I had the whole time. I never could control the time school took out of my daily life.

I'm going to change my title to something else and just blog about my daily life as a RETIRED teacher. I have one day of postplanning and plus another day of reception to go, then I'll be done. Unlike most people I know, it has take me 46 years to finish school! I was only five when I started first grade, with a red sweater (well, surely I didn't wear a red sweater in August in Georgia, but I remember having it) and a book "satchel" with a humongous box of Crayola crayons in there. I was also terribly excited. Now, I'm 51, and I just might go get a big old box of Crayola crayons and COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES. I'm pretty excited.