School is Out; the Good and the Bad.

(photo courtesy of Mark Lilly's travel blog)

Our fifth grade students are now 6th graders and won't be back next year. (Sob)  Over the summer they will grow by leaps and bounds, ready to enter middle school and they will search for book clubs!  Hurrah.  Most of our other students will be back in the Fall, ready to learn more, ready to check-out more books.  I worry about many of them over the summer.  A few live in households where they will take a vacation, go to the pool, have play dates with friends and have good old summertime fun.  Those are not the kids I worry about.  Many of our kids have parents who are less-than-involved who will park their kids in front of a television set and go about their business, not caring exactly what parked child is watching or playing.

While I haven't been to their homes I do listen when they talk and they tell me about movies (starring Freddy and other gruesome things that slash in the night) that I've never watched or dream of letting my own kids watch and the same with video games.  I worry that these unwatched kids will not get enough food to eat or anyone to greet them in the morning, giving them the kind affirmations that many of our teachers do everyday.  Many don't have bicycles to tool around on or shorts and t-shirts that fit.  It all makes me weary.  I know many of them won't have learning opportunities over the summer like my own children will and I wish I could bring many of them home.  They don't have library cards, (sob) which means they won't know the joy of weekly visits to the library just to show off how many books they read all week!

When we played with sidewalk chalk at school I was amazed at how many kids don't have this creative and inexpensive tool at home.  I wanted to package some up and give it away.  I didn't get it done but I did give away a lot of books to students.  I hope they have healthy food to eat over the summer but my second hope is that someone will take the time to read to them sometime during the week. 

Thanks for listening to my rambles as I begin my summer, happy, but pensive about the grumpy faces I see everyday who rely on a teacher to cheer them up.