It is FINALLY summer!

I can't believe summer is FINALLY here.

Thankfully the end of the school year went smoothly. I had a few failures here and there, a couple of which really bothered me, but that is just part of the job unfortunately! My classroom is packed up, all papers are graded, and I'm DONE!

Vacation, however, won't really start for me until June 20 because tomorrow (June 13) I head to Birmingham, AL with six boys from the speech and debate team. It is finally time for the National Speech and Debate Tournament. I'm rather excited. We've never taken this many students before, and I know that it is going to be a fun trip, despite the fact that I'm the only female going! Thankfully there will be female coaches from Ohio who I know rather well, and I'll hang out with them once we get to Birmingham.

I'm rather geeked out about going to Birmingham, and it is not because of the tournament. I do a Human Rights Unit in English 10, and one of the pieces I do in the unit is to show a documentary from Spike Lee called "Four Little Girls" about the four girls who were killed in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing on September 15, 1963. Our hotel is just blocks from this landmark church. I am also making it a point to go to the Civil Rights Museum, and hope I'll have great materials and pictures to take back to my students.

So there you have it. I'm headed out to dinner tonight with John and my parents, then getting to the airport at 6 AM tomorrow for our flight. I'll be sure to update about my trip and how my students did at the tournament when I return!