End of Year Traditions

I've left the chicks to the tender mercies of a guest teacher and my Resident to go to the doctor.  This only became possible when I realized I was prioritizing the chicks over my own health and that's probably a sign of fatal Kindergarten Martyrdom Disease.  (This is the disease that drags feverish, puking teachers out of bed for a field trip they must attend.  Sufferers find themselves skipping sleep to cut out twelve thousand laminated shapes for a one-time activity and becoming woozy and lightheaded from spraying a fixer on oil pastel masterpieces after the kids go home.)

Every school and district has their own end of the year traditions.  For instance, SFUSD traditionally sends out pink slips a couple of weeks before school lets out.

I started a new tradition at my school that is now running on its own: passing out superlative awards at the end of the year party.  The first year I did them myself; the second year I had a helper.  This year I wasn't involved at all, except noting that I was only accepting a superlative if it said "Most Likely to Exchange BFF Necklaces with Kevin Truitt".  (It did, either because I'm scary or because the writers could only come up with a superlative involving my varied and exciting wardrobe and everyone's already heard those.)

I have a personal tradition of splitting a night at a fancy hotel with a colleague and then inviting some of our other colleagues to meet us at the Tonga Room, which is perhaps the only bar in town more kitschy than your average Kindergarten.  This is now finalized and I am very happy.