The longest days in the school year...

...are those days right before a long break. I've been counting down to Easter vacation since the end of February! I've got a countdown ready for the day we come back until June 5th. It's not necessarily a sign that we don't like our jobs, just that we're ready for a break and ready for some much needed 'me time'.

This year I don't have major plans for spring break, just taking care of some smaller tasks that I haven't made time for lately, like getting my kitchen knives sharpened and reading some smaller nonsense books I've had on my shelves for a while. I actually don't always mind reading the simpler stuff; I've found that it helps me appreciate the great stuff even more. When it comes to my spring break, I don't want to do any more thinking than necessary. I feel like my brain is reaching its critical limits here!

I don't know why these days seem long--they just do. I'm sure part of that is my own anxiousness. We've earned a nice week off, haven't we? As the kids start to lose it, so do we! I've given 2 classes assignments that are nothing more than busy work today. Sad as it is, I'm okay with that! I don't give them busy work all the time, but it's difficult trying to cram in a new lesson on their last class day, and it's even more awkward trying to reteach that lesson after they've returned from a week of sleeping and vegging on the couch. It's difficult to get myself back into the groove as it is! I don't always advocate busy work, but I give it out so rarely that the kids and I both see it as a treat.

Tomorrow and Wednesday will be worse, Wednesday especially! 4 hours of teaching followed by 6 hours of conferences! Joy of my joys! I will have to do everything in my power to keep myself from busting out of here at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday like a caged animal.

I know we'll get through it, and I'm not concerned about breaking down mentally (although my classroom printers are doing their hardest to try and send me to a padded room), it's just going to be a long few days in between now and Thursday morning.