It's the Light....I See It!

The last day for seniors was Friday.  All week, they were a bit squirrely, but Friday was what appeared to be Hawaiian Day.  They started with some type of "beach party" in the parking lot before school, whooped and hollered a little bit between classes in the hallway, and apparently exited a half hour before the end of the day - a day that was a 1:30 dismissal day.

I'm old enough now to have witnessed many "last days" for seniors.  Some of the days are full of mischief, while others are pretty tame.  This particular senior class was fairly tame, and it fit them pretty well.  They were a classy group of kids for the most part.  They excelled academically and with extra-curriculars, and they were personable and fun.

So now this coming week is the last week for everyone else.  Second semester exams are Thursday and Friday, which leaves Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday to wrap up loose ends and call it a school year.  I have an essay exam for my semester exams.  The English III sections have one set of prompts to select from, mostly regarding the novel we recently reviewed and analyzed - Fahrenheit 451.  The advanced sections have two sets of prompts, as they will complete two essays for their exam, and those prompts cover the novel those students read - The Ox-Bow Incident.

Having written essays for semester exams isn't the easiest way to end the year.  Scoring the essays is a bit time-consuming, but I think this format best resembles what many students will encounter in college.  Unfortunately, some teachers don't give much of an exam at all, which is a bit frustrating.  What is not frustrating is being free from end of they school year yearbook issues.  My past three years at Rockridge, the end of the school year was no where near the end.  In fact, the end was actually 2-3 weeks later, full of frustration as I battled staffers to come back and finish work.  NOT THIS YEAR, THOUGH.  When I wrap everything up, complete my checkout list, and finalize grades, I will be done for 17-18.  That's going to feel great!

So the proverbial light is just down the tunnel.  We will finish up Dead Poets Society tomorrow or maybe Tuesday, and then my DVD copy of Fahrenheit 451 arrived, so I can show the English III sections the remainder of that film.  In there somewhere I need to have the exit survey completed, and I need to clear my walls and desk and bulletin boards of everything that needs to be packed away.

Summer is close!