Well, I am back from Colorado. I was there for a week with a bunch of people that I work with. Surprisingly - it was a LOT of fun. We had convention (Love and Logic) from 8am-2:30pm, but then we went out and did the town. Some of the activities were:

• Garden of the Gods
• Pikes Peak
• Flying W Ranch
• 7 Falls
• Visited a Ghost Town
• Naval Air Force Base (had to check out the local hotties)

We all surprisingly got along really well. I believe we actually got a lot closer, as a staff. At least the ones that came along on the trip.

I miss my dog though. My sister has had her since I left, and we have decided that she will keep her until she comes down here next Friday, that it was ridiculous for me to drive the 7 hours (round trip) to pick her up. Here I sit, lonely for my little dog, for another week and a half.. Its so sad..

Oh well.. i dont have lots of time to write a lot tonight - i am heading out to see The Toys play tonight. If you havent heard them, you should check them out: http://www.thetoysband.com

http://www.lovemonkeys.com <--- <--- The Love Monkeys : check them out!!

Look, its me! With.....



John (the lead singer)













Jason (drummer)

last day has arrived...

Today is officially the last day of school. I came to work today with mixed feelings. I am very excited to finally have a break from the tribulations and stress of teaching, grading and dealing with students every day. But, I think about it, and that seems to be such a small part of why I became a teacher. And really, I can see the real reason every day when I see the students in hall. For many, we are the only people that really care about who they become - or what they do. We truly want them to become better people, and want to see them succeed. Many, have never had people believe in them so much. Then, I sit and think about it. We will lose many students this summer to the streets. A few will get caught up in gang activity. Some will get wrappped up in the drug community. And sadly, some will become involved in both. Next year the students will walk through the door on the first day of school, and we will be missing a few students - and the truth is, I may never really know why they didnt come back - whether it was a choice or a consequence of the streets.

There is a group of students that I am happy we are losing. We have 50 students graduating on Sunday. 50 students that may not have been able to walk across that stage had they not walked through the doors of this school and made the commitment to let us help them. Some were more of a challenge than others - family issues, community issues, pregnancy, alcoholic/druggie parents, etc. I am extremely proud of these 50 seniors: many, as they will tell you, never thought they would see the day that they would actually graduate. For many, they are the first in their family. And for most that are continuing onto college, they are definatly the first in their family to take on the responsibility and prestige of college.

So, though I am happy to see summer come, I will miss these students that I have definately come to love. And the truth is, once school comes around in August, I will be ready to come back and start all over again.

**Water Fights**

Yesterday, we took out students (about 120 probably) to a park near my principal's house for a field day (ie: a cook out and whatever else the students want to do). It actually was a really good afternoon. We go to the park around 9:45. I played volleyball (along with 3 others teachers) with the students for a good 2 hours. 2 hours of volleyball can completely take the energy out of a person - especially when its in the sand.

BUT - it always seems, that as lunch is winding down, somebody feels the need to throw water on somebody. Then, that leads to somebody else. Soon, everybody is throwing water.. And wouldnt you know it - the goal of every student is to drench a teacher. When you have 120 students, and 12 teachers.. That means that each teacher - is going to get very wet. Soaked, may be the more appropriate word. In the hour after the water fight, i tried to dry out in the sun, but at 1:30 when it came time to get back on the bus and let the kids go home, I was still very, very wet.. Which, was not very enjoyable. I still had to work at school for 2 more hours. Working in wet clothes, in air conditioning - not fun. Mental note for next year: bring extra clothes to change into when I get back to the school.

Thats about all. I only have 6 more days with these students. 3 of which are finals. So, really, I only have 3 more days of class, since 3 days are for finals. As much as I am looking forward to this school year being over, I am going to miss all the students during the summer. Though, I know I will be seeing some of them this summer: whether its at Target, Summerfest, State Fair, the mall, or wherever else.

The school year went extrememly fast!