Penultimate

Penultimate has become one of my favorite words. It means second (or next) to last. Tomorrow is my penultimate day of school. In other words tomorrow is the second to last day of school! After Friday I am on vacation!

For teachers, this time of year is difficult. The last week of school is more about survival skills and less about actual education. Don't get me wrong. Teaching goes on until the last possible minute, but there are adaptations that have to be made as well. Kids are not dumb. They know things are winding down. They know teachers stop taking grades and don't want a bunch of papers to grade at the last minute. Kids sense the teachers are done and it's kind of a dance that we do. How can we seize those teachable moments while the kids know things are also coming to a close? In the end it all works out.

Happy summer everybody! Let the relaxation begin!