It's the end of the year as we know it

I realize I'm beginning a blog at the end of the school year, which seems a little silly.  But you have to start somewhere, right?  In my mind I'm thinking that I will have time over the summer to share ideas because my summer plans include the following:

Sleep

Read

Teach some typing courses

Lake

Sleep

Read

I should be able to squeeze in some blog time.




I get a bit "carried away" at the end of the year.  I get nostalgic and start thinking about what a wonderful class I have had for the past year.  And I start to think about how I have to start all over in August.  So I put together a slideshow for my class and burn them to DVDs for each of them to keep.  I use iMovie and it seems to work pretty slick for what I do.  


I've been inspired by the subway art trend that is everywhere right now, so I created this:

And here is my finished product:

I also collect all of their paragraphs from the year (an idea I got here) and save their final copies for their "writing portfolio", which I return on the last day of school.  

In theory, I would file these each week after they are handed in and shared.  Easy, right?  However, I have this taking up space in my living room:

Teachers procrastinate, too.  Tonight I have a date with these papers and the Billboard Music Awards.

I take so many pictures throughout the year that I can't possibly print them all without going broke, so I put them together in small collages from Walgreens for each student.  They're $0.29 each, so not too pricey...but it is a little time consuming for each student.  Those go on the cover of their writing portfolio.  

Order pics.  Print personalized cover pages.  Glue together.  Laminate.  Done.

Oh, and that pesky little part about filing all their paragraphs and stapling it together.  That's probably the most important.

            

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