Every new beginning is some other beginning's end.

Today is the last day of classes with my students this school year. I said goodbye to the bulk of them yesterday, and I'll say goodbye to my last two classes this morning. Yesterday, one of my seventh period girls walked in and said, "Miss! This is so sad! I remember when I walked in this room on the first day of school and it was was so colorful and fun, and I just knew this was going to be a good class! And now the walls are empty and well, it's just so sad!" And then she hugged me and begged me to teach English III next year. Three other students wrote me little thank you notes and gave them to me before they left.

I never wrote a thank you note to any of my teachers in high school. But then again, I never felt like I really had a relationship with any of my teachers in high school. I have some sweet kids.

This has been a challenging year. Not so much at school, but it's been a whopper at home (because of outside forces out of our control). But because of everything that's gone on, the school year has FLOWN by. I literally cannot believe how fast it's gone. My kids learned a lot and did an excellent job as a whole this year. And apparently that's the case school-wide. We went from an acceptable rated school to a recognized school this year. If you know anything about the ridiculous No Child Left Behind school ratings, then you'll know that's a HUGE deal.

So all in all, it's been a good year. And now it's time to work on my tan and do a few other things-- we've taken up a few new hobbies, including golf. I've also got a few other things on my plate that you might hear about in the near future. My calendar is full, and I'm ready to soak up the sun this summer and cherish every single second of every single minute until August 16th!