Grateful Zombie / End of Year Thanks & Appreciation

Congrats to classes of 2012 around the world on your achievements! Another year has come and gone in the blink of an eye. My school door only has 5 days left to cross off before we say farewell. The last set of copies will be sent to the copy room tomorrow. Yearbooks to sign. Filthy, cluttered classroom to clean out. D'OH!

Before I return to complaining about my quickly growing to-do list, I wanted to pause and reflect on all the positive things I have to be thankful for this year. It might just make the grunt work to be done seem a little less tedious.

Zombie Hubby Thanks! For accepting a new Zombie kitty into our home, and making a little room for yet another litter box. Miele (pictured at left) is slowly coming out of her shell, and seeing what it's like to be outnumbered in the house (as I am) by a ratio of three boys to every girl. 

And for dealing with the realities of having a teacher in the family. Like late nights of papers to correct, websites and grades to update, parents to email, and general crankiness from being too nice at school all day. And lots of lots of laundry left unfolded in a pile in the laundry room. Lying in wait for me now... can I put it off another five days???

Zombie Parent Thanks! I have the most amazing parents, who have supported me throughout my life and many career trips and dead ends. With everything else going on in our tumultuous lives right now, they find a way to put everyone else first. Buying lawn mowers. Paying for meals. Flying family members (and pets) around the country. WITH luggage. Arranging impromptu birthday parties and catering at the cabin. Driving out to replace a sump pump line on the fritz, after my duct-tape-and-plastic-bags doctoring didn't do the trick.

Zombie Friends & Family Thanks! The outpouring of assistance, play dates, hot dish meals, Facebook pictures and videos, mailing of cards and gifts, verbal and other expressions of sympathies are deeply appreciated. Transitioning back into work and home life after the tragedy was as smooth as could be expected under the circumstances. Being around some normalcy and the bubbly energy of teens helps keep the grief under control.

I am sure there are individuals I have forgotten to thank, so I'll let Ethan do it for me. "Thanks for the extra cash that finally motivated Mommy buy me the new bike I needed! I got to ride it out of the store!"

Zombie Coworker Thanks! To all the wonderful team members, support staff, secretaries, custodians, administrators and other professionals I work with on a daily basis. You put up with my daily lateness (I'm still running on "Ashley Time" after all) and grandiose ideas, and bossy over-management of all spreadsheets, and somehow still love me enough to throw together a big wad of sympathy cards, words and cash to make me feel better after my sister's passing. The money really does help. No one realizes just how quickly the expenses add up after a death in the family; especially when travel and settling of accounts and property take place. 

Zombie Student Thanks! Daily sympathy cards and gifts continue rolling in to keep me going each day. Random hugs and positive thoughts, pretty plants, compliments on my sister's clothing and jewelry that I wear all the time now, and continued effort through the end of the year, are more than I could ever ask for. It is such a privilege as a teacher, to see students blossom into creative, analytical, and reflective thinkers at the end of the year. No Senior Slide here. (knock on wood!)

Now that testing season has come and gone, my math enrichment classes are completing a read-aloud of All of the Above and have started the tetrahedron project. We have made a Stage 3 (64 tetrahedrons) so far, and are hoping to complete a Stage 4 (256 tetrahedrons) before our last class next Monday. We were going to have a party that day, but several students have informed me that they would RATHER CONTINUE READING THE BOOK! One girl even said, "can you keep reading it to us while we work on the tetrahedons???" (yes, it's THAT good... or maybe it's just that my attempt at an inner city accent is really entertaining to them ;)

Anyhoo, I will post some pictures of the tetrahedron project in the next few days, as we work our way towards "THE END". Peace out.