End of the Year 2017

How do I put into words what May and the first week of June feels like? For those of you that went to college or even took high school finals......May/half of June is finals week, yes for 5 full weeks. Educators experience "the last" every late spring for as long as their an educator. Nerves about final reports, meetings, deadlines, a smooth performance eval (silly but it's on the list of 20-30 other things).  There's junk food in every lounge and chat behind close doors about our students success, priceless things these little people say and the fun summer ahead.  We prepare gifts for those staff who are moving forward to different buildings or a new phase in life. Oh yes, I forgot the last to see improvement in our students which should be first on our list! Don't worry, it's in our DNA to offer compassion and feel pride when an achievement happens but mentally, physically and emotionally everyone is overloaded.  To count 184 days and clock out to start your 9 weeks off with ease is impossible. There's people, life and bureaucracy occurring around you.  Happiness, pride and relief are swarming with stress/anxiety with extra effort to zone in on your concentration levels.

This year I've decided to put my Siesta Hut philosophy to work. This is important to me!

I had deadlines and wrote them in a prioritized list. I gave myself my own individual deadlines. Usually aside from the kids and meetings I had 1-2 hours of paperwork each week day to do. And I really tried super hard to stick to it. Despite the interruptions (there are several..........I promise) this really worked. In April I was bringing lots of work home. But May 6th-June 8th I didn't bring any work home. Which makes me happy! June 6th I was so happy to be 85% done with student's and their paperwork. By June 7th at 2pm, stress and panic set in. I wasn't done dotting i's and crossing t's! I think I felt such a relief midweek....I stopped micromanaging what I had done. So, Monday there will be a few things I need to complete.

This year as been the smoothest end of the year for me because of my approach and thoughts towards what is going on around me. It's taken a conscious effort to be positive, look around me to find ways to make my life easier and stick to the plan. I will admit it's still a work in progress!

Next year is a new year for my philosophy and new ways of approaching my life.

To add to finals week which is 5 weeks, I began vision therapy at the end of April. I'm so fascinated by what I am having to do. Being a patient through mid October will make me a better therapist. However, like any therapy, home exercises and involvement are crucial. So, most nights at 9pm I exercised my eyes. I'm excited to do my exercises in the mid-morning in my PJs!