Well actually in our case more like 67... we only get like 6 weeks of vacation to promote student retention... blah... blah... blah...I really enjoyed this year... I somehow became room mom to 2 classes, both Katie and Kassie's... This was purely by accident. I learned that when the teacher asks you how you want to help in the class... not to put down an assortment of things for her to select from... she will give it ALL to you. I seriously had to have a chat with one of the teachers at the beginning of the year about wanting to help a lot in the classroom, but NOT every day for some days 2-3 hours...LOL
I have learned the importance of being involved in my kids class... Yes, I was room mom for Kassie's class but for the first time, I was not also doing classroom time. I underestimated how important this actually is. As my drama queen would come home with even more woes regarding many of the kids, I realized that I really did not know all of the kids in her class and that made it difficult to discern real threats and such from just a exaggerated drama. As if by magic, as soon as I started to volunteer in the classroom, the drama simmered down quite a lot.
I have often felt the tug to become a teacher, and honestly I feel it is such a noble profession, but there is so much hard work that goes into being a teacher, more than I really want to be responsible for... so for now, while I am given a great opportunity to stay-at-home and be a professional mom, I will greatly assist with my girl's teachers, helping to relieve some of their less pressing burdens, and create unbelievable memories for my girls. That being said I tend to become rather attached to these teachers. I learn so much about them, and they learn so much about my girls... what makes them click, learn, motivated etc. The end of the school year is always so hard to say good-bye to them. I am such an emotional wimp sometimes...
Then there is my 3rd grader who is moving a whole and complete campus away now... our school goes from K-3 grade, and now Katie will be going to the 4-8th campus... MIDDLE SCHOOL! I am NOT ok in the least with her growing up... she is already showing signs of her independence... Can't we just freeze them? Ah, come on... why not? Today being the last day at that school for her was very emotional... I have been teary eyed for the past 3 days and today was no different. I was under control... that is until I saw a chalk drawing one 3rd grader drew... "Good bye 3rd grade, Hello 4th!" Ouch!
I have learned, however, just how much Katie and I are alike... here I am dealing with my emotions of her growing up... and she has the same... she saw me coming for her today and burst out into tears... she was just as scared and sad and anxious as I was... we had a great hug and cry fest on the front lawn before we left that school. I know with every ounce of my being, that she will do awesome next year... but I know I will walk with her as long as she will allow me to... that is my full time job as a professional mom ;-)