We receive year end evaluations that are composed of a combination of numbers - our observation ratings, SGO ratings (based on how our kids test) and other stuff.  I received mine yesterday and am happy with it.  I am in the highest level.  Woohoo!  I distributed catnip Friday night and made a cat daddy and his kitty happy.  My pool is open and my flowers are blooming.  My garden is a riot of color.

So why am I bummed?  Well, the depression is kicking my ass right now.  I am trying to teach at the end of the school year.  And it is a challenge.  As my MDW kid told me, when you have 7 periods of teachers showing movies, when one period has a teacher trying to teach, it is hard for the student to be motivated to work.  Thanks, colleagues.  You might say the kid was exaggerating.   Not so.  My colleague was out yesterday and her substitute confirmed that many of the teachers she is subbing for lately are just showing movies.  Thanks.

Then we have kids who - though one kid told me it isn't personal - seem hell bent on hurting the teachers who love them.  One dear woman upstairs from me was driven to tears last week.  Me?  I cry in private.  Station 10 or home.

So I am getting to work on revamping stuff for next year.  I have pretty strict stuff I have to teach in Photo I, but there is more flexibility in level 2.  They want us to work on the social and engagement end of things here.  Fine with me.  These kids don't know how to have truly deep conversations, back and forth.  They know how to talk but not listen.  I want to work on changing that.  I might not succeed, but at least I can try.  I want to go back to regular critique, no matter how cringe inducing they are.  I want to have more socially relevant work and I want to introduce the kids to more photographers.  I know they hate that stuff, and I let them direct me away from it,  But where has that gotten me?  I ran the class looser this year and they still quit on my this June.

So I am kind of counting the days until summer.  I have few friends so I look forward to music, dancing, gardening, kitty naps, art making, solitary adventures, and living in my bathing suit.