One More Day

Today was Crazy Sweater Day, tomorrow is Pajama Day, Friday is the first day of Winter Break.  

From the looks on the teachers' faces it can't come soon enough.

$92 million ..... $57 million .... guaranteed for nine years or four years .... with health benefits and state of the art workout facilities ... and is it enough for the talented young man who can throw a ball?  

I know 60 educators who might take any one of those deals.  

As the vacation nears, the kids start losing their minds and the staff bears the brunt of it.  There are no free breakfasts and lunches during Winter Break.  Everyone is at home and there's barely room when they're just sleeping and one third grader fell asleep today at her desk because it's very noisy at my home.    

Many of the kids will be moving to new homes, new families, new schools.  One Garden Leader is getting four more brothers and I already have five. Another is moving so far away but won't change schools because then I can walk here; I've given up trying to figure out the logic.  

The district is downsizing (charter schools, fewer families) and all of a sudden seniority is an issue for teachers who thought they could spend their whole career in our little corner of the universe.  No decisions will be made for a while, which just extends the anxiety that even festive sweaters couldn't disguise.

In the garden, our mandarin orange tree is setting fruit, the tomatoes are ripening, and the kids have eaten all six spinach plants down to their nubs.  Did you know that it tastes like salad?  The irrigation is still wonky and the plants will be untended for two weeks; all my potential plant waterers will be traveling, too.  Right now it's in the 70's, but who knows what climate change may create over the holidays.  

All in all, it's been an interesting week in public education.