Cute kids and crazy drivers

Today was the last day of school for the Portland Public Schools. I was invited to my little first graders' classroom to see them "become second graders" and say goodbye. For those of you who don't know because I started this blog fairly recently, before I was in my 5th grade class I taught in a first grade classroom at Irvington Elementary School from last October to this Febraury.

There is nothing like opening a door and having 25 excited 7 year olds tackle you for a hug! Uh, they are sooooo cute! They were all like "Miss Meika, Miss Meika we missed you so much! Can I hold your hand? I want to sit next to you!" Who wouldn't love this kind of welcome? Anyway, I stayed for their ceremony in which each of them were called up to the front of the class to walk across the "bridge of learning" stopping in the middle to spin around three times while being tapped by the "magic wand of knowledge" to turn them into second graders. They each received a "golden key" to unlock a "lifetime of learning," it was very cool. There was even a surprise at the end, I was called up by my mentor teacher to receive my very own key and to walk across the bridge and be turned into a "real teacher!" (Now if this "real teacher" could only get a "real job!" :o) It was a great experience, I am sad to see them all go, but really happy to see just how much they have learned this year and matured physically, emotionally, and socially.

In other news, I am looking forward to my new summer job which officially starts on Monday. I only have a few days of freedom left! On a really really random note here are two things that happened to me the other day that I am officially adding to my list of pet peeves: 1) When restaurants fill the napkin holders too full, causing all of the napkins to come out in a big stack when trying to pull out just one and 2) When someone cuts in front of me on the freeway and then goes really slow! That happens to me all the time and I just want to honk but I can't because I like to consider myself a good, nonhonking kind of person. I am always glad I don't honk because the slow poke inevitably turns out to be a little old lady or man. While I am on the subject of driving I also can't stand it when people don't turn right on red or left from a two way to a one way, both are legal people! I think both of these traffic issues are really my own problems because they show that I am always in a hurry maybe if I just left a little bit earlier before I had to be places...Anyway a few things to chew on, feel free to agree or disagree, anyone? Cory, do you want to come out of the woodwork again? Christy, care to make a first appearance? (o: