When the Animals Ran the Zoo

We officially have one week left of school and I am beginning to feel like a zookeeper. I love my job and all my kids (no sarcasm here, honest.), but I’m beginning to lose it. We all are. The kids are tired. The teachers are tired. The administration is tired. In fact, I have a feeling we’re keeping the local coffee industry in business right now.

Anyone who has kids, or works with kids, knows that kids do best with routines. These past few weeks all routines have flown right out the window with little birdy wings and chaos has stomped on in the door to take over. Every day we have a new schedule to follow and me being the scatterbrained nut that I am can barely figure it out, let alone convey it to the kiddos. Add the fact that we are absorbing kids as they finish testing and  beautiful beach weather and you have the perfect recipe for disaster.

Today was one of those days. We even had the cherry on top of it being a Friday AND the afternoon was blocked out for the faculty/student volleyball game. Awesome (sarcasm here). Even though I had a very structured lesson about Anne Frank and the Holocaust planned out, there was no way in hell those kids were going to focus. And I can’t really blame them. They’re a week away from sweet freedom, the last thing on their mind is what it was like to be a teen during the Holocaust. Needless to say, my teammate’s brilliant idea to take a few laps around the track saved us all.

We all survived to the game when they were able to get some of their energy out and chit chat with their friends, and we were able to do the same. By the time the bell rang it was more than just the kids racing for the door, the teachers were right there with them. Or should I say, the zookeepers.