The Natives are Getting Restless...

How do I always seem to forget, come September, that eighth graders are insane? In the last week (keep in mind today is only Tuesday) I have had to stop students from shocking themselves by putting the end of computer cords in their mouth while the other end was plugged in, some students tried to set the school on fire (for the second time), a boy had a video camera in a bathroom stall (I don't even want to know...) and there is so much PDA going on in the hallway next to my classroom, I find myself making as much noise as possible ("Oh! Here I come, walking out of my classroom!" stomp, stomp, stomp).

Ahh....spring.

The kids are definitely ready for the start of summer, the only problem is that we have about five weeks of school left. Poor souls, they don't really expect me to make them work those last few weeks. (Insert evil laugh here)

This is usually the time of year when I am anticipating summer just as much as the kids. We are all usually counting down how many days we have left (26), but I find myself in a slightly different position this year. I've got a good thing going at my school. I love the staff, I love the administration, my team, and my students. I get along famously well with my coworkers and I now know the majority of the families in our small, little community. Before, I would always know that I would be coming back to see everyone in just a few short months. I looked forward to summer because I knew that I was going to come back. Now, these are the last few weeks I have here. I'm not going to be able to bug Sarah as she is trying to move into her room next fall, there won't be any planning sessions with Scott, Lew, and Deanna. I'm not going to have former students, excited about high school, come to visit me during their lunch period.

Instead, I'm going to be in a completely different part of the world. Working with people I have never met before, working with students that have a completely different culture than I know. I'm excited, but sad at the same time. I've been so fortunate to work with the teachers, administration, and families at my current school. They are all so encouraging, kind, and really do love what they are doing. Even though I am truly excited about the adventure we are about to set out on, I know that I am leaving the ultimate working situation. The chances of me being able to return when we are finished in Ecuador are pretty slim.

Bittersweet.