This will be my 17th trip to Bonaire, but Kathiless. I am bachelorizing with my whacky friend Gary. That island may never be the same. We finished school yesterday and I am really looking forward to some time off away from jr. high kids. As much as I love them, you really do need the time off away from them to recharge your sanity. Next year, when I go back begins the retirement countdown. I was going to go out this year, but my superintendent asked me to stay one more as we have so many new teachers. I just finished this year as a mentor with some really incredible young teachers. I am very impressed with them. What they lack in experience, they make up with their use of technology and creativity. Oh yeah, REM tonight and tomorrow night. Tonight in Philadelphia, tomorrow at the Garden in Manhattan. We like them just a bit.

Have a blast at the concerts, I am a huge REM fan myself. They just played here and were great.Michael Stipe actually smiled!

I hope you and Gary behave a bit

Thank you for being a dedicated educator, please pass some of that along to the new recruits.

Jim, have a blast at the REM concert and remember to avoid the brown acid. Thanks for all you do and it is very gratifying to hear good things about the next generation. I've been saying that for years and all I get back is that they are privileged and spoiled. I look at what they have and are doing in the military the last few years. They're a good group of kids and they will do great things.

Jim, I can't wait for your trip, stories and pictures.

Cecil, honestly, about 90% of the kids out there are really great kids. If some of their parents would grow a set and take them to task when they screw up, it would even be better. There is just way too much, "My child would never do that." They are just enabling their children to be non-productive adults. After my book comes out next year "The Enablement of Failure The American Parent" it will all change. I'll make sure you guys get on Oprah when I'm on the show. LOL

Jim, I agree with you on that. My son, now age 27, is a middle school teacher, grade 5. The child that couldn't stand teachers in his school days is now a teacher and an excellent one at that. His wife is also a teacher, just had their first child, so she is taking some time to bond with the baby right now.
It is nice to see good teachers out there such as yourself and now the younger generation going in. I have heard them say the same things as you said above quite a few times I am sorry to say.

This thread just makes me smile
I'm glad you've got a boyz trip coming up Jim - you deserve it.
REM - you go dude!!!

You guys are going to have a blast! I agree with your parental statement Jim. We have "helicopter" and "lawnmower" parents that we deal with, they are few and far between, but they are there. The helicopters hover around everything their student does. The lawnmowers are the parents who try to do everything for their student. Neither is a good combination with first year college student.

I had one this year Jeanine. This mom wanted to part of her son's life in everything. I felt bad for the kid, as she was ubiquitous. We went on three extended classroom activities (field trips) and she was on every one of them. She would bring lunch up to school frequently, and on a number of occasions she would sign him out to take him to lunch. It was very strange.

REM was off the charts. Michael Stipe smiled a couple of times. I saw them about 6 years ago in Denver when my daughter Kate was doing her residency at Denver Children's Hospital. They still have it. That whole Athens, GA music scene must have been pretty incredible back in the day.