I've had quite a day. I love the people I work with. They're all under an incredible amount of stress lately. With an impending strike combined with the end of the school year crunch, coupled with an additional lay-off of more Education Assistants, some of us are ready to pop. Even the students are on edge. 6th graders getting ready to enter 7th grade and all of it's angsti-ness. 7th graders vying for social standing before they hit the 8th grade hall. High School and all of it's mystery looming in our 8th graders' future is putting some serious pressure on these kids. There are other things as well. I love our kids. Not many people can handle the 11-14 year old set but they're pretty special. Some of them tell stories of their lives that would spin your head. I'm blown away by their seeming resiliency but I recognize their pain. It comes in so many forms. Over-anxious, over-talkative, overtly defiant, over-ambitious, under-ambitious, solemn, cranky, manic, bold, loud, quiet. Every single one of them displays their qualm differently. Every day a roller-coaster ride. Today was especially bumpy. This time of year brings the dreaded "third round", a desperate attempt to meet AYP and the state standards with a last round of testing reserved especially for the "nearly meeting" set. It is during this third round of testing that the personal celebration of "meeting" is often a loud, happy Whoop!, round of applause and a sigh of relief. Alternately, I find myself having to give more hugs and wipe away more tears after a missed benchmark during this last chance to "pass". The way I feel today, summer can't get here soon enough. It may be time to step up the mission I started when this blog began. It's time to start looking up, or down, or all around, and focus on what is inspiring and uplifting and funny and rich. Little tiny daily reminders that in spite of this poo poo feeling I have right now, we live a beautiful life and indeed, things are looking up.