Last Day Before the Holidays!

Holidays are finally here, but it was definitely a different "end of year" to those at many other schools. To start with, unlike at home in Australia, it is not the end of the school year, so we aren't have end of year concerts or graduation ceremonies or any such things. Secondly, as a secular school in a mostly Buddhist country, celebration of Christmas isn't exactly high on the agenda. Then, in addition to that, the holidays are only two weeks long! The weather isn't that different to what I'd be experiencing at home in Australia, although maybe it's a little cooler than some Christmases (though warmer than it may be this year).

So what did we do for the last day of school. Well, I don't believe in last days being one big holiday, but I do believe in having some fun and making the day a little different, so instead of a 35 word spelling test to start the day we had a mathematics test! Don't worry, it was a short one! After that we did some editing, and then split for our Language Arts time. The first group is reading "The Mouse and the Motorcycle" by Beverly Cleary, which they are really enjoying, while the second group are reading "Fudge-a-Mania" by Judy Blume. They are having a lot of fun with that. I've given each of the children a character, so when we read aloud, they read aloud what their character says. As well as making the reading more fun, it means they have to stay focused or they miss their character's lines, which is embarrassing.

Next comes recess, and then it was time for our "Go For Green" class auction. Highly prized items were a plush puppy, and pencil cases filled with coloured pencils. "Angry Birds" rulers were also in demand. Several of the children seemed to be collecting a variety of rulers, which was interesting. Bendy pencils were also popular, so I stocked up on them again today. After everyone had spent their "tickets", we did a "cubby" tidy out, and I sent home any bits and pieces that needed to go, along with quite a bit of returned work, and school calendars. Once all was tidy, and belongings in backpacks ready to go, the children were given a double length "Fun Friday" so out came jigsaw puzzles, games, and even a book or two.

After lunch, the children went back upstairs to collect all their belongings, then came downstairs again for a surprise. By the time they arrived, I had served up 21 bowls of chocolate ice cream! Now that is a quick way to put a smile on the faces of 21 nine or ten year olds! They enjoyed their ice cream followed by a quick game before it was time to go home!  What a great way to end the year. They had earned their treat, and they all appreciated it. While I'm enjoying the fact that I'm on holidays for a couple of weeks, I'm also looking forward to their return in two weeks time! School is hard work, but it's fun too. I love my kids, and they make all the effort worth while. Praise God that He has chosen this way for me to serve Him, because it's a privilege to serve Him by teaching children.