The First Plum

The Spring winds have died down and the Summer fog hasn’t yet arrived and so getting a taste of

Summer as I like it—warm, sunny and the promise of long days ahead with no classes to plan or report cards to fill out. Went to the Farmer’s Market and bought my first plums, peaches and nectarines. One bite into that juicy ripe cool plum and the message was clear: “It’s summertime! And the livin’ is easy…”

But not quite yet. I am working on end-of-year report cards and there are three days ahead of school, plus another for the graduation ceremony and yet two more for final staff meetings.

Believe me, the end of school will not be a trip to summer’s beach. A lot of responsibility on my shoulders, work to be done, tasks to be completed. But it’s also not your typical end of school.

What lies ahead? A Samba Contest with hot percussion and kids dancing their original routines! A staff-8^th grade basketball game! Five-year olds showing off to their parents ten of the twenty-five dances/ songs/ games they played this year! 8^th graders giving speeches and musical performances and showing videos as their swan song before they leave! Making mud-pie desserts and torturing the kids with sitting completely still and silent before eating them or else! (Mud-pie taken away!) The end-of-the-year slide show! The closing ceremony with songs and short speeches about each class as they move up one row and the final gongs! The hug-line! The graduation ceremony with teachers talking about kids with teary eyes! A farewell staff luncheon with teachers saying goodbye to leaving teachers with teary eyes!

And then it’s summer. Pass the plums, please.