Exit, Stage Right...

Have you ever tried to do something subtly? Unobtrusively? Perhaps even with a little dignity and grace? If so, I hope you have more innate skills at this than The Sheep.

No matter how hard I may try, I will never be able to pull it off. I'm always the one who trips as I attempt to sneak out of a bad wedding toast. During any given "moment of silence" for a departed colleague or acquaintance, rest assured it will be my chair that makes the weird farting sound. It is my lot in life.

Last Friday I was given the opportunity to transfer to another school in my district. I have some mixed feelings about this but, all in all, it is really a great opportunity for me for a variety of reasons. The best part of this is that it is late enough in the school year to avoid the whole "good-bye, fare-the-well, let's all hug and promise to stay in touch forever" scenario that I just don't do very well. My hope was to quietly pack my stuff and fade away...just a pleasant memory to all. They would speak forever of the graceful and self-effacing exit of their beloved Sheep.

In an effort to expedite the removal of my possessions, I pulled my truck to the front of the school in what they call "the bus lanes." The buses had long since gone and it seemed pretty safe. A custodian provided me with a dolley and it looked good for a speedy and unnoticed car-loading.

Nope.

Suddenly over the intercom system we hear, "Would Mrs. C please report to the front for her ride...her special ride!" Mrs. C's husband, in honor of her retirement, had hired a limo to pick her up for her last day of school. And the limo was parked directly behind (and someone blocked by) my truck and all my school crap. A cadre of staff traveled in attendance with Mrs. C to see her off and, in the process, got to see my fully loaded vehicle and one Sheep wrestling with a dolley. They were a wee bit diverted by the full bar in the limo, but a few astute observers caught on to the fact that there may be a bit more going on in the front of the building.

So, my quick and painless exit ended up being a tad more complicated than originally planned. But I guess it could have been worse and it was nice to have a few folks express their sadness at my departure to another building.

But it is finally summer vacation and it is all behind me for the time being. I'll continue to crank out a bit more paperwork but that is all stuff that can be taken care of from home. It's been a rather "trying" school year for this Sheep and one that I look forward to recovering from. I do, however, have a wee bit of guilt knowing that I am on vacation until September and that my ten loyal readers are either still at work or at home with the kids I don't have to hang out with for a while. So I leave you with this little bit of silliness, a project made with the students in my class while we were studying plants:

Mr. Grasshead! (for lack of a better title)

This picture was taken before his recent haircut. He is looking far better groomed now. I'll post the directions for this charming home accessory if anyone is interested. It was easy and has stayed all green and sorta creepy looking for a couple of weeks at this point!

I think he's looking at me...

SA