First week of summer

Lots going on this week. While there are no students in the hallways, I managed to put about 30 items on my to do list for this week. Some of these range from writing letters of recommendations to staff to clearing out the piles of paper in various areas of my office. July typically is the month to catch up on all those items that escape my attention during the latter part of the school year but it requires prioritizing of this list. Vacation to DC and Ocean City next week!

Last Day of School

So what is it like on the last day of school for both students and teachers? If you do not work in education, it is a unique feeling given there is a clear cycle to the school year. My best description is the feeling of enormous accomplishment. Each year I run a five mile race around St. Patrick's Day.
I am not an avid runner so go through a cycle of emotions throughout the race. In the beginning, I usually think about how good I feel and smooth the race is going. The middle of the race I start to struggle a bit and feel my legs start to get more tired. Once past the four mile mark, I regain my earlier speed and upon finishing there is a feeling of exhilaration. Working in education provides a great amount of satisfaction in finishing what you set out to do to the best of your ability. I look forward to running many more races and years in education. Wishing students and staff a wonderful summer.

Thoughts on Washington D.C.

It is now a couple weeks after the eighth grade trip and I am finally getting a chance to share out on the experience. The last time I went with Bay Trail students was probably 8 or 9 years ago B.C. (before children). Now as an administrator, the experience is different. Students on my bus and overall were observed to be excellent. I watched closely our students compared to other large groups and BT stood out with their exemplary behavior. Way to go! Bay Trail staff do a wonderful job keeping the students engaged in all the sites Washington has to offer. Being so busy leads to fewer behavior problems. It is a rigorous pace, especially observable at nightly staff meetings in looking at tired faces. I have to admit, I am much more of a morning person so was probably not peaking during these meetings starting after 10. Trip directions do a wonderful job with the preparation that goes into the trip and making sure all runs smoothly while down there. It is a wonderful experience for both students and staff and hopefully one that the kids will remember for a lifetime. If interested, I posted updates on my twitter page if you would like to view at JBurkeBT@twitter.com