# Any teachers counting down the days?



## drenfrow (Jan 27, 2010)

I know I'm not the only teacher around here! And as we all know, teachers count down the days at *least* as much as the kids. 

I teach science grades 4th-8th. We get out at noon on Friday. We have a workday on Saturday and then an annual Survivor-themed party where all the teachers get intensely competitive doing insanely silly challenges. Great way to end the year.

So what's your countdown?


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## 4Katie (Jun 27, 2009)

drenfrow said:


> I know I'm not the only teacher around here! And as we all know, teachers count down the days at *least* as much as the kids.


One day near the end of the school year, when my kids were in middle school, I realized how close we were til the end of the year and had this conversation with them:

Me: Hey - did you know there's only 20 school days left?
DS: Yeah, yeah, that's all we hear about.
Me: Oh, the kids are pretty excited, huh?
DS: No, it's all the teachers talk about!


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## cheerio (May 16, 2009)

I am a student counting down the days


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## Hoosiermama (Dec 28, 2009)

DH is a counselor and is really counting the days. I think they have 1 student day left (after today), but he has an extended contract. There were MAJOR cuts to education this year, and there will be more next year.


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## drenfrow (Jan 27, 2010)

4Katie said:


> One day near the end of the school year, when my kids were in middle school, I realized how close we were til the end of the year and had this conversation with them:
> 
> Me: Hey - did you know there's only 20 school days left?
> DS: Yeah, yeah, that's all we hear about.
> ...


I am *so* not surprised. 


cheerio said:


> I am a student counting down the days


I've seen references lately on KB to people being out of school and I always wonder if it's teachers or students.


Hoosiermama said:


> DH is a counselor and is really counting the days. I think they have 1 student day left (after today), but he has an extended contract. There were MAJOR cuts to education this year, and there will be more next year.


My tiny school has cutbacks too. We are losing three staff members this year and replacing one. Ugh. The school is so small, everyone has to do so many jobs already, and the past few years, it's just been more and more... Oh well, I am glad I have a job!


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## austenfiend (Nov 17, 2009)

My 8th grader is definitely counting the days!  11 days left.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

drenfrow said:


> I've seen references lately on KB to people being out of school and I always wonder if it's teachers or students.


Well, I am a college student and have been out since May 2. Taking the summer off before *hopefully* starting Nursing school.

And my HS kids get out this Friday, and my mom who teaches in California gets out June 11th.


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## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

Hehe I'm a grad student and finished school at the end of April, so I've been out for awhile! I actually worked in a school earlier this year though (I have my teaching license), so I know all those teachers are counting down the days, as are all my friends who went through the same teaching program as me and got teaching jobs. 

I'm actually going to be doing a bit of teaching this summer at a summer though. Teaching the basics of engineering to a bunch of elementary school students at a summer program!


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## Jen (Oct 28, 2008)

I'm a full year worker, so I watch and despise all you teachers that incessantly BRAG that you get the summer off   !!  
Every May/June I wish I was a teacher.  But I'd be terrible at it, so you should thank me that I'm not ha ha!!


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## Hoosiermama (Dec 28, 2009)

> I'm a full year worker, so I watch and despise all you teachers that incessantly BRAG that you get the summer off Grin !!
> Every May/June I wish I was a teacher. But I'd be terrible at it, so you should thank me that I'm not ha ha!!


It's worse being MARRIED to one! I'm jealous every Christmas vacation and summer vacation. Then I watch what's going on in education, and think not only would I be AWFUL at teaching, but I look at the stress with all the cutbacks and just the general lack of respect teachers/educators get, and I know I would have a baaaaad attitude.

We have schools year who are laying off people with 10 years of experience. Essentially, if you are in teaching and have a few years of experience and get laid off, that's the end of your teaching career. Sad times right now in education.


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## Margaret (Jan 1, 2010)

I am a school librarian.  We finish for the summer on June 17, which is about a week later than our usual start of summer vacation.  We have made up all of the days we had off because of snowstorms, so I am not sur why the year was extended.  I do know that I get NO sympathy from any of my family members when I whine about the extra days.  It does remind me of that very old joke: What are the three top reasons for being a teacher?  June, July, and August


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## Pawz4me (Feb 14, 2009)

We're homeschoolers.  Although we never completely stop schooling, we do scale back quite a bit for six weeks or so during the summer.  So yeah, I'm counting the days!  Eight more school days and we'll go from six or seven hours a day to just one or two.


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## drenfrow (Jan 27, 2010)

Jen said:


> I'm a full year worker, so I watch and despise all you teachers that incessantly BRAG that you get the summer off  !!
> Every May/June I wish I was a teacher. But I'd be terrible at it, so you should thank me that I'm not ha ha!!


My husband is a wildland firefighter and he has ~3 months off in the winter. So we both have jobs with the big chunk of time off but not at the same time! And both jobs are the type that you can't take a week off in the middle of your work time. So two weeks at Christmas is pretty much the only time we ever have off together. So he's jealous of me now and I'm jealous of him in November.


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## LibraryGirl (Dec 16, 2008)

3 days, 3 hours, 49 minutes...


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## Eternal_Naturist (May 25, 2010)

Oh sure, you guys are counting down the days till freedom - I'm counting down the days until my house is overfull when I'm used to being alone during the day.

My youngest graduates HS this year, but then her best friend is moving in with us (her parents are moving to a house without enough room having previously heard from their daughter she was getting her own place??). Then in July my son and his family (two grandkids making a total of 4 of them) will be moving up here from AZ and staying with us until they find a place of their own. There will then be eight people living in this house that was only intended for no more than four at best.

Oh, and did I mention my cats??

What a fun place this will be and all while all of you are enjoying your freedom for the summer.


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## drenfrow (Jan 27, 2010)

Eternal_Naturist said:


> Oh sure, you guys are counting down the days till freedom - I'm counting down the days until my house is overfull when I'm used to being alone during the day.


Well that just seems unfair. You get the last one graduated and they all start moving back!


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## PhillipA82 (Dec 20, 2009)

lol you sound like my wife. She is a teacher too


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

Picnic day tomorrow... Splash Day on Thursday which is a 1/2 day... Friday is Pizza Party day and another 1/2 day... Monday is a holiday. Tues-Fri we only have 1/2 our children, then I teach summer school Monday - Thursday in June... BUT I am _*off*_ in JULY!  So... yea... I don't know... how many is that?


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## egh34 (Jan 11, 2009)

Today was supposed to be our last day, but due to snow days we are out next Thursday. 6 more school days to go.


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## lynninva (Feb 7, 2009)

DD is a second year teacher in Norfolk.  She is definitely counting the days, but they have weeks to go; I think they finish June 21.  

As much as she wants the year to be over, she is concerned about what next year will bring.  They were told that contracts might not be issued until July or August.  She has to make a decision on her apartment lease in June.


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## caracara (May 23, 2010)

As per scheduled we have a 3 day weekend then go back Tuesday for one last half day, because we totally needed a 3 day weekend for mothers day. I only have 12 more math problems then I'm done for the year, even though I still have to go and watch movies tomorrow in all classes (disney and mythbusters). Major seniorities, even though Im only a junior. I want my triple digit summer!​


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## The Atomic Bookworm (Jul 20, 2009)

caracara said:


> As per scheduled we have a 3 day weekend then go back Tuesday for one last half day, because we totally needed a 3 day weekend for mothers day. I only have 12 more math problems then I'm done for the year, even though I still have to go and watch movies tomorrow in all classes (disney and mythbusters). Major seniorities, even though Im only a junior. *I want my triple digit summer!*​


To do what? Spend more time in the pool than you already do? (hehehe!!)

And that whole "going back for 1/2 a day after a 3-day weekend" thing falls under "not thinking their cunning plan through".


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## lynninva (Feb 7, 2009)

The Atomic Bookworm said:


> To do what? Spend more time in the pool than you already do? (hehehe!!)
> 
> And that whole "going back for 1/2 a day after a 3-day weekend" thing falls under "not thinking their cunning plan through".


DDs school system can top that. The kids are on early release for 3-4 days for what was supposed to be the last week of school. Then the school system chose the teacher workday scheduled for the following Monday as a full day snow make-up day. The teachers aren't expecting many kids to show up, but they still have to plan activities for the entire day.


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## caracara (May 23, 2010)

The Atomic Bookworm said:


> To do what? Spend more time in the pool than you already do? (hehehe!!)


Yep! I may be addicted to chlorine...
plus most of it is staring at black line, going back and forth, summer lets me play in the water =)​


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## freelantzer (Apr 28, 2010)

Seven days left!!! Am looking forward to summer vacation and a much needed break. But I can't help being sad at this time of year. The classes have finally gelled--there's a sense of community there that takes soooo long to build. Everyone is cool with everyone else. I don't have to deal with any attitudes.  Even the "weird kids" are accepted by the rest of the class as a part of the group. Things are just smooth. It's sad to say goodbye to that community at the end of the year. And to contemplate the prospect of building it up again with new groups of students . . . not to mention the insanely huge class sizes we can expect next year due to budget cuts and layoffs . . . *sigh*


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Homeschooling, and not planning to take much of a break. Just a couple of weeks in August, probably.

This may sound mean, but we have a good reason... first grade for DD turned out to be a repeat of what she'd done in preschool, so I took her out of school midway through the year, homeschooled the 5% of the curriculum that she hadn't done, and then in March embarked on the second grade curriculum. To get through that by fall (and get her enrolled in third grade back in regular school), we have to keep going. But then we only do about three hours a day, since we don't have all the overhead of dealing with 25 kids. So there'll be plenty of time for lazing by the pool and bike riding and all those vacation things...

But_ I'm_ looking forward to my break!! Unfortunately I only get a week off between terms.... <sigh>


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## The Atomic Bookworm (Jul 20, 2009)

caracara said:


> Yep! I may be addicted to chlorine...
> plus most of it is staring at black line, going back and forth, summer lets me play in the water =)​


Good point, never thought about the black line angle of the situation.



lynninva said:


> DDs school system can top that. The kids are on early release for 3-4 days for what was supposed to be the last week of school. Then the school system chose the teacher workday scheduled for the following Monday as a full day snow make-up day. The teachers aren't expecting many kids to show up, but they still have to plan activities for the entire day.


Okay, THIS one tops THAT one.


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## caracara (May 23, 2010)

lynninva said:


> DDs school system can top that. The kids are on early release for 3-4 days for what was supposed to be the last week of school. Then the school system chose the teacher workday scheduled for the following Monday as a full day snow make-up day. The teachers aren't expecting many kids to show up, but they still have to plan activities for the entire day.


Wow, don't you just love school administration? haha, I surrender, that is worse​


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## drenfrow (Jan 27, 2010)

freelantzer said:


> Seven days left!!! Am looking forward to summer vacation and a much needed break. But I can't help being sad at this time of year. The classes have finally gelled--there's a sense of community there that takes soooo long to build. Everyone is cool with everyone else. I don't have to deal with any attitudes. Even the "weird kids" are accepted by the rest of the class as a part of the group. Things are just smooth. It's sad to say goodbye to that community at the end of the year. And to contemplate the prospect of building it up again with new groups of students . . . not to mention the insanely huge class sizes we can expect next year due to budget cuts and layoffs . . . *sigh*


I teach at a tiny remote school so I have tons of prep work teaching five different grades of science. However, education-wise, it's a great system. I have the same kids for five years in a row (all the middle school teachers do), so you don't have that starting over every year and building the community problem. You know the kids, you know how they learn, you know what they know (they can't play the "but we never learned that" card ). It really is an effective way to teach. But a *lot* of work preparing! And while we're so small that everybody has to do a lot of extra jobs, the good news is my biggest class is


Spoiler



15


 and my smallest is


Spoiler



8


. I can hear the jealous groans from other teachers!


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