Last day of 8th grade... WOOF.

I was driving in to work today going through my usual grumblings with Dusty. Make fun all you want, but every morning on the way to school, Dust and I have a phone conversation. It usually involves him telling me how excited he is for the school day, and me complaining about my first hour class. So today I was going on and on about how excited I was for my last day. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED parts of this job. It was a brand new experience, I really loved a lot of the kids, and I felt a great connection with the staff through out my time there. But parts of teaching 8th grade can be EXHAUSTING. And because there was an end in sight, I think it made the last couple of days REALLY difficult to get through. Examples being...
~Approximately 25 students asking me this question during their final: "Ms. Miller, what's precipitation???" Me (silently in my head): ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME!!!! (We studied precipitation for THREE DAYS. THREE!!! Where literally all I said in so many words was that PRECIPITATION IS RAIN SNOW SLEET AND HAIL. WE EXPERIENCE IT EVERY DAY AS MN RESIDENTS. Maybe I am overreacting. But seriously.)
~About eight students SKIPPING their final to attend the MSHSL State Hockey Tournament. Yea, watching a bunch of high schools that AREN'T the school you'll be attending play hockey is more important than your final exam. No problem.
~Having to erase a drawn penis on my white board- the problem being, it was written in permanent marker. No idea who did it. Never turn your back.

So yes, I was a little bit excited to be getting a break.

And then I went through all five of my classes, and got through my rather difficult first hour (I am not going to miss the same student yelling "WOW BRO" at me every time I tell him to sit in his actual desk, not by his friends) and then came my third hour, my fourth, and the "WHAT! It's your last day?!" "Ms. Miller, don't go!!!" and even the handmade poster by a fifth hour student, completely COVERED in glitter, that said "We'll miss you, Ms. Miller!" Followed by this from a sixth hour student....

Who am I kidding? Of course I will miss it. I will even miss the moments of insane chaos, when it literally took every fiber of my being not to want to SCREAM sometimes, I am going to miss it all. This is just another great experience to add to my wonderful year so far.