My Hangover

My fellow teachers and I sometimes joke about how much easier our job would be without all these kids. Then comes the day when all the children are gone, and we really are left alone. The desks are emptied and the books go back on the shelves. All of us grown-ups who have collected yo-yo's and toy cars and little rubber balls and any number of restricted playthings are now looking for a place to dump the drawer where they landed. And the thing that I notice most? The bare bulletin boards.
When the year started, there was a flurry to get colorful paper and borders up on the miles of vertical space that line the halls of our school. The boards were all prepared for the appearance of student work. I made my own contribution to the gallery over the course of the year, showcasing writing and pictures created in the computer lab. Now they're heading for the recycling bin.
I know it's all a part of the Circle Of Life here in elementary education. Kindergartners become first graders, first graders move on to second, and so on. They grow taller and smarter until they move on out the door after their fifth grade promotion. That's when the teachers clean the slate and step back for a moment. We have just a few moments to consider the successes and challenges before we start to ponder the next time that kids will fill those empty chairs. Some of us will be back in a week for summer school. Others will take as much time as we can manage before coming back to our rooms. Some of us will be moving on to other schools, other jobs. It's the nature of things. But right now I'll just enjoy the quiet, and wait for that bell to ring.