Twenty-One Days To Go (Including Weekends 'Cause That's How I Roll!)

We are finally into the last bit of the "regular" school year. I always have to put this clarification into these types of posts because my job includes an extended school year which means that I work more than the "regular" teacher does. We do not have a choice about whether we work the extended school year. It is expected, so it is just what we do. I digress.

We have 21 days left before we get to the end of the school year. After that time, we get 13 days off before we come back for one day, have a three-day weekend, and then start back up again in our summer schedule - four days of work. We have a seven-week summer school schedule before we get a week off and then start up the next "regular" school year. In the middle of summer, we get an additional week off. It makes summer scheduling interesting.

I, as always, wish that things were different. With just under two weeks off at any given time, I never really feel ready to go back to work. When I first started at the facility, we had almost three weeks off at the end of the summer, and that was enough time for me to get completely tired of my own company and start craving the time spent with clients and co-workers. That never happens anymore, and I do not ever really feel bored with being at home.

Anyway, we have sixteen work days and five weekend days between now and the end of the "regular" year. During this timespan, we also have two 12 hour days to work through - both on Wednesdays. That means that I will be exhausted on Thursdays for the next two weeks. I have made my session strategies for the rest of the school year - R2D2 goes to work today for next week's sessions. I also have a hand doctor appointment next Wednesday, a meet with good friends from high school, and new tires to look forward to (?). That's all in the next seven days!

I am ready to bid this school year adieu. It has been a difficult time. That's really an understatement. This school year has been like no other in my lifetime. It is time for it to end and become a story that we tell to wide eyed students later on - "Well, I worked through the global pandemic of '20 and '21. Sit down right here so I can tell you about how we figured out how to be remote teachers and learners..."

The countdown has started. I am keeping track of the number of work days left in my work bullet journal because that small ritual is a way to remind myself that we will just keep moving forward whether we like it or not. I am going to start my personal countdown this evening when I can write that we have 20 days left. Coincidentally, our last day at work this year is also my birthday, so this countdown has a dual purpose.

I hope that your work is going well - either growing or becoming a bit more stable for you during this pandemic.