Weapon of Choice

In case you aren't aware, school ended Friday! I am officially DONE as a middle school teaching assistant. For the rest of my year, I will be preparing for and working with a summer school program geared to 4th and 5th grade students. While I am intimidated by younger children, I am looking forward to the 3:1 student to teacher ratio!

The last day of school was a half day, and the teachers decided to have a water-fight, due to the intense heat of the past few days. So at 10:15, the 7th grade teachers and I began filling water balloons for the kids who had brought them in. We worked for 45 minutes, until the fight officially began. Whereupon the 7th grade teacher opened fire with the hose in an attempt to clear a radius around herself. Fact : if you want to stay dry in a water fight, do not fire. She ended up soaking wet.

The kids had a ball, and I loved how little time it took to destroy our 45 minutes of water balloon work. They had come up with plans, strategies, and teams, which were promptly forgotten in the hurry to soak anyone and everyone. With the destruction of the water balloons, the kids with squirt guns had the advantage -- but the kids with squirt guns were too few and far between to make that game fun. So instead, they poured into the building and found cups, containers, and anything else that would hold enough water to pour onto someone else. In the end of 45 minutes, every child was soaked and happy.

After the students left, the faculty had a meeting with the administration. Or rather, with two administrations. Our old team is leaving and new one is coming in. The change is going to be difficult, and I am not ready emotionally for it, so the meeting was a little hard. But I at last have a name and face for the incoming principal, which is exciting, even if I won't be working with her. I still care about what happens to the teachers and kids I am leaving behind and want to leave them in loving and capable hands.