Roller Coaster Ride

That is what I feel like I'm on lately. The last day of school is tomorrow. Today, I had a parent drop by my office and thank me personally for working with her daughter, and I had a student come by to give me a hug and bring me a thank-you gift and card. I felt very appreciated and that it was a good choice to promise my services one more year. Everything I sought to get done today I was able to accomplish, but if you'd talked to me at the end of last week, it would have been a different story. I had three meetings last week that came straight from hell - the last of which was a complete train wreck. You know the meetings are bad when you cannot meet without having the "higher ups" in attendance. From the first instance of "arms across chest" to the first verbal jabs, I knew it was gonna be rough. At one point, there was the perceived threat of physical harm from an "outside professional" to a member of our team, to which my (half-joking) reply was "You should have let her hit you - what about taking one for the team?". My suggestion was met with a jab in the ribs from the "possible hit-tee" and smirks from the other team members. It was the only time I can remember having a meeting called to a halt because of obnoxious behavior (not on my part). This was on Friday afternoon, which was after two other meetings where I had to sit and listen to obnoxious parents with outrageous requests that there is no way anyone, short of Wonder Woman, could fulfill. The nice thing was that, by the time the third meeting adjourned on Friday, all I could do was laugh and wonder how our situation would have been sensationalized by Jerry Springer, which is the opposite of what I usually do after something like that (the opposite being cry, bitch and moan, and carry on - all followed by consumption of wine or other alcohol and a hot bath). So one week I feel like I can do nothing right, but then comes this feeling of gratitude right before things all come to a grinding halt for the summer.

Now, if this wasn't enough, I go from being proud of K for bringing up two grades right before the end of school (usually a time when kids generally flake out and I think they might have been abducted by aliens), to being downright dumbfounded as to how a kid can make his grade in a class drop several percentage points by getting 7/100 on a test. How does one do that poorly? UGH! To borrow a beloved phrase from the "Breakfast Club" - "I'm crackin' skulls!". Mainly K's. Not really... but damn! Someone's ass is going to be in Sylvan all summer long (not mine - K's). That is my method of crackin' skulls.

At the end of this crazy roller coaster ride is a very much needed solo venture to Seattle to see my friends and my dad for Father's Day. I have nothing better planned than leisurely lunches with the girls, a manicure, and possibly a few movies at the Seattle International Film Festival. Then, K will be visiting all summer, which I'm really looking forward to, despite my recent and current grumpiness with him.