The last weeks of school are always crazy, crazy. Everyone is either happy or upset about one thing or another. Students are happy about it FINALLY being over but upset about missing their friends over the summer or upset about a mark they think they didn't deserve. Teachers are upset about short timelines, paperwork, and basic wrap-up things they have to do but at the same time they are starting to wind down, looking forward to summer and even looking further forward to September. For me, closing a school is incredibly intense because we are both closing the school and preparing for the opening. There are extemely short deadlines on everything that has to be finished by "year-end". It's go-go-go! It's also the time teachers are starting to relax a bit and feel like talking as human to human...and these are the relationships I wish to nurture.
Teachers work so hard all year long, then there's a wrap-up and boom it's summer and you're off. For me, it takes at least two to three weeks just to gear down and the same amount of time to gear up in August in preparation for school. So, taking time to actually talk to teachers about their craft, their practice, their issues, their dreams benefits all. It's helps the teachers to hone their craft, to consolidate ideas they've had and problems they've encountered to create a great learning experience for their students. It helps teachers to understand issues that go on behind the scenes...stuff that goes on while they are in their classroom, stuff you don't need teachers to worry about, but that need doing. It is an exchange that fulfills that human need to communicate and understand. It's a nice way to end a school year and ease into summer...to feed the collective soul.
Teachers work so hard all year long, then there's a wrap-up and boom it's summer and you're off. For me, it takes at least two to three weeks just to gear down and the same amount of time to gear up in August in preparation for school. So, taking time to actually talk to teachers about their craft, their practice, their issues, their dreams benefits all. It's helps the teachers to hone their craft, to consolidate ideas they've had and problems they've encountered to create a great learning experience for their students. It helps teachers to understand issues that go on behind the scenes...stuff that goes on while they are in their classroom, stuff you don't need teachers to worry about, but that need doing. It is an exchange that fulfills that human need to communicate and understand. It's a nice way to end a school year and ease into summer...to feed the collective soul.
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