Survival Mode

My portion of the OAA is finished. That's both good AND bad. Good because the high stakes test is behind us. Bad because there are five and a half weeks of school left and the kids feel like they're finished with the school year. They don't understand the concept of "lots of learning to do yet!". Once the OAA is finished, teachers go into what we call survival mode. We do our best to maintain a "business as usual" atmosphere and keep a lid on what amounts to a gradually increasing pressure cooker. The kids know the end is near and can sense the let down the teachers experience after the big test. From now until June 6th teachers will try to walk the delicate line between teaching educationally enriching lessons while not boring the kids to death. We will try to have some fun while at the same time maintaining some modicum of order and control. Translation= Try to have some fun without having a five and a half week free-for-all. Wish me luck! It's going to be a WILD RIDE!