Somehow, it’s May. I can’t believe it. I think the very long and very cold winter has something to do with the fact that the months have slipped by quickly. Today is the third sunny, warm day this year. The third. That’s unusual in recent years. There’s still snow on Fountain Ridge which means it’s not time to plant your garden yet (according to the elders, who know what they’re talking about) so instead of working in my garden like I usually do the first weekend in May, I decided to write instead.

With the nice, sunny weather came a shift in the classroom. PE outside. DPA outside. Anything we can sneak outside, we do. I finally heard the familiar “Ms Gregory can we go read/draw/play outside?” from students several times on Friday. Also, a retired teacher of mine was in Friday as a TTOC and, during my prep, took the students for a nature walk around the school grounds. We are lucky to have a ravine with a creek flowing behind our school property. It’s a great place to take the students for all sorts of outdoor learning. I was prepared for the “He took us on a walk” comments when they returned. I was not prepared for the “We ate dandelions and he showed us how to eat certain cacti” comments! Lucky kids…I’d love to have tried the cactus. Apparently it tasted like cucumber!

With the shift we also have the year end craziness setting in. One or two major events happening every week from now until the end of June. This week there is a fish dissection demonstration (the students can’t wait!), the St’at’imc Gathering and our school carnival. Next week there are student led learning conversations one evening after school. The week after there is a really cool learning event happening at the local spawning channels called Walking with the Smolts.

And then it will be June. Poof, May will be gone.

I love the end of the year. So many fun activities. The weather is nice. I know my students well and have more fun teaching them because I do know them better and feel that I can help them to learn more efficiently and effectively.

I hate the end of the year because there is always so much that I want to finish up and do with my students and there is never enough time to fit it all in! I’ve figured out, after 21 years of teaching, and having taught many students for more than one year in a row, that teaching a student for one and a half years is the perfect amount of time for me to do all that I want to do. Anyone up for changing the school calendar?!

Anyway, the sunshine and spring breeze (not mention the hammock chair on my deck) are calling to me. Thanks for reading and hoping you have a lovely spring day!