Opening the Neverland House

So last night was Open House at my school, the part of the year where I push the students to create all these time-consuming projects to show off for ten minutes and receive a few "Ooos!" and "Ahhhs!"

It's also the time of the year when I actually clean the classroom from top to bottom, finding odd things like my stuffed Bambi kept prisoner by a barracade of encyclopedias on our bookshelves.

It is also the time of the year when I encourage my students to go visit 4th grade so they can see how nice and easy-going I am in comparison to the increased workload of next year; at this point they all turn pale and their eyes grow wide with panic. I also meet current 2nd graders who walk into my room and exclaim excitedly "Neverland!" or "You're the nice teacher I hope to get next year!"--little do they know that we do not spend our 3rd grade days flying around the classroom or outwitting pirates (at least not every day).

And of course it's the time of the year when nostalgia begins to creep in, as I realize that the school year is more than half way over, and that sooner than I think I will be saying goodbye to my dears and wondering who I will take to Neverland with me next year...