Long week. Lots of admin/academic stuff. Time for a rainy Saturday.

The overwhelm continues, as aided and abetted by Mother Nature and a really lousy night's sleep. I'll be doing garden stuff tomorrow. Today, it's 45 and rainy. No thanks. It is not safe for me to be shlepping about in wet grass in the cold while no one is home. To be honest, I'm okay with it. I slept very poorly, and I am entirely sick of these busy, stupid dreams where I'm in charge of situations that are absurd, but in the context of the dream, are dire as well. 

Enough already. 

It was an exhausting week (who am I kidding, month-school year-decade), and I dearly wanted sleep. So today, I'll putter about the house, get groceries, and grade papers, all while laundry churns despondently. 

I don't know why the laundry would be despondent. I'm probably projecting. 

I'm usually super excited about the last two weeks of school, but this year, I just feel like it's been enough, I want it done, and heaven help the next person who poses yet another paperwork-laden task on me. I want to wrap things up, not start things that are more properly the work of PD days. That said, huzzah, I dispatched the most recent task quickly enough. The admin wants to map out the scope and sequence of every grade level (appropriate for elementary/ middle), but also for every course taught in the high school. Frankly, I'm not sure it can be done well for most high school courses; scope and sequence maps are meant to chart progress/building of skills in sequential order. However, my syllabi that are pace-oriented (gah, buzz words) are what they want for "initial input" -- I'm glad I'm meticulous in those things. Actually, I'm glad I have them because college partners for all four of my classes want them. Our English Department (all 1.75 of us) has been working on a list of expected ELA skills, and a list of grammar/usage skills, all mapped out for which grade levels/courses are the places where students are introduced to concepts, where they should have mastered them, and what skills are "introduce as needed" things (like the use of square brackets in quoted material). So now we have a little nudge to finish that as well, and we'll send that off to admin before we leave this year. 

I do NOT want that task on my summer to-do list at all. And the silver lining of all of this is that I made some revisions to all four syllabi, so they will be all set for next school year. Or at least, set enough. I'll print those off and bring them home, tuck them away until August, and we'll be fine. I am not engaging in any school-related PD this summer (no conferences), so those will collect metaphorical or actual dust until I'm ready to build my Google Classrooms. 

Granted, I've been assured that plugging all the input info into a common format is NOT our job. Admin is going to do that. Blessings on them/good luck. I want none of that busy work. 

So there.

This is what I've been up to this week, amid finishing Othello (they loved it!!) and Streetcar (they were amply disturbed!!)-- emotional content to be sure in both of them. Add to that the usual housework and child-watching (and said child has been a bit tired/emotional, too-- preK is a jungle sometimes). I'll admit, I lost my cool when twice yesterday evening dirty shoes and sand in the living room sent me spiraling. I'm gonna work on that. But still. Gah.

Maybe this rainy, cool Saturday has been sent as a blessing. I tend to work hard on Saturdays and take Sundays a little slower, but maybe I just need the break I prayed for last night. I have been given one. I won't whine about it. 

I hope you stay dry, stay safe, and be careful. The world is a mess in so many ways. You, however, are not part of that mess. I'm glad.

C

O, okay, positive thing: We have three graduating seniors who have taken seven (yes, seven) English courses in their four years (four is the usual number that they must take). Two of those kids took mostly dual credit/AP classes. It gives me a glimmer of hope for the future of our world. They will get awards on Friday. =)