What's that buzzing noise?

It's a million little bumblebees flying around the school!! Okay, in reality, it's only a thousand fifth and sixth graders trying to contain themselves from flying around the school!! I have never seen or heard anything like it!

We are just two weeks away from releasing the little beasts into the good ol' Summertime. Look out world. They are bursting in their own skin as we speak, and teachers at this time of year struggle with what to do with all of that. We were testing this week but today is the last day, and there is a feeling among everyone, students and teachers alike, that we are done now and it's all downhill from here. That's a lovely thought, but the fact of the matter is that we still have to find something to do with these young 'uns for two weeks!

I remember being excited as a kid about getting out of school for the Summer. I knew that it would mean sleeping late, riding my bike and playing outside a lot, and visiting grandma and grandpa more frequently. It meant no schedules, no deadlines, and no pressure of completing anything that I didn't want to complete. (Except for the list of chores that was left in the morning, which was quickly tackled 30 minutes before Mom was home from work at noon.) Well, guess what?

Now I'm an adult. A 41 year old woman that teaches 5th graders. And guess what? I AM SO EXCITED! Summer means that I get to sleep late, play outside a lot, visit my grandma and grandpa as often as I want, no schedules, no deadlines, and no pressure of completing anything that I don't want to complete! (Except for an occasional list of chores that will be tackled in 30 minutes.)

The energy in the school is palpable. It is suddenly a living, breathing being. If you stop and glance into a classroom, there are literally kids that are struggling to not just jump up out of their desk and run. I actually had a kid run up to me on the playground and just shake and scream. That's pretty much it in a nutshell. We just don't know what to do with ourselves!

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could see that energy harnessed? I bet we could provide energy that Duke Power never thought about having. Kind of like on Monsters, Inc., when they harnessed the screams of children to power their world. If only that energy could be used for the good of our nation!

I remember many years ago that I took a very energetic young man to school each morning. He was the cutest thing with his head full of curly brown hair. He loved to talk, run, play, talk, act crazy, talk, and laugh. I really had a great time with that kid, as he provided a little boy-ness for our girly world. (Even though I only had two at that time.) His mom once told me, "I just wish I could harness all that energy. You know, he may just end up being a preacher one day, if I can keep him out of jail." That really cracked me up, and I'm happy to announce that the young man is graduating from high school this month without a criminal record.

Sadly, that same static energy will get some kids in trouble. Our ISS room will be full until the end of the year. Some kids will lose privileges of doing all the fun stuff that we offer with the last two weeks of school. A lot of them will just not know what in the world to do with themselves, so they will do something dumb and get in trouble.

The other kids, the ones who can contain themselves, can join me outside the last day of school. There will be laughing, singing, dancing, and fun for all, and there will certainly be no tears. Well, actually, there may be a few tears of joy.