Tomorrow: Game Day

Being on an academic calendar, I have certain dates well memorized by the time school even begins. You know, we receive our calendar well ahead of the start date, so I know on what day certain events fall. Some of these are small events, like Columbus Day, which we get off, others are slightly more important, like when Christmas Break begins. This year, the two days that have etched their numbers, 14 and 13, well into my brain are rapidly approaching. The number 13 is not unlucky, not this year, not in June, because it marks graduation. Hallelujah!

The 14th approaches even more rapidly, we are just a few hours shy of it. And it's not the clock striking midnight, but the clock striking 8:00 am that will mark, to me, in my own petty little way, a milestone.

At 8:00 am, my small handful of senior students will sit down to take a test that I certainly wasn't capable of taking in high school: the AP Spanish Literature Exam. 9 months and 57 works later (give or take a few here and/or there), they will sit for their exam, we will all exhale, students and teacher alike, and then I will await on pins and needles for the next few months before I know the results. Tomorrow morning, later, after the exam, will provide me with somewhat of a relief when I see the students and see the essay questions. But final results? Nothing until July, or maybe August for me, since I will be traipsing across 'the Continent' at the end of July (oh Joy!).

I am cognizant of the fact that these students are tired. Probably bone-tired and also emotionally done by the end of their senior year. That, combined with the fact that PROM is tomorrow night, might make for some iffy results.

Which is totally understandable. It really is. I will not hold it against these students if they all fail, except I might, just a small bit, hold it against myself, because I know that these are whip-smart students. Seriously. They could kick my ass on the IQ factor any day, it's just that I have a broader range of experience and in theory I have a stronger grasp on Hispanic literature, ranging from the 14th to the 20th centuries.

So, I have hopes and expectations of and for them. Maybe that's unfair, but like any children (these are not my biological offspring, but I've now taught them for 2 years, so this is as much 'mothering' as I will ever know, except for our dogs), I see them as a reflection of myself in a way. Additionally, do others judge me on these scores? Yes, without a doubt.

But all of this nonsense will be over, more or less, tomorrow, somewhere in the 11:00 o'clock hour.

To celebrate my students' achievements and the end of a demanding year with them, I will chaperone Prom. Yes, that is right, Prom. I can't wait.

(Please note: Sarcasm at the end. I really don't like prom at all.)