So, today was the Exiting ESOL Celebration that has been in the works for a couple of weeks. After planning, and sharing responsibilities with everyone else, and getting all sorts of things okayed by the administrators that were concerned - it went on this morning.

But not without a couple of hitches.

1. After all of my work on the invitations, and the painstaking calling of students to the office to personally deliver the invitations, when I called for RSVP's yesterday morning, quite a few of the students had not even given he invites to their parents. Typical.

2. Yesterday during lunch, the other ESOL teacher and I frantically signed certificates of achievement, then I put them in the principal's mailbox to be signed. I got an e-mail from him last night saying that they had been signed, and telling me to keep him posted on the time and place of the event.

WHAT????!!!!

3. So, this morning, I arrive at my classroom door before duty, and there's a pile of bags with food and drinks on the doorstep. Cookies and juice that my colleague had purchased. Now, I would have preferred to have Mexican pastries, or donuts, but I am trying to give up control, so...

4. ...This left me with a couple of questions: Who is going to set up? Who is going to cover my class? I assumed that, since there was no acknowledgement that this was going to go on this morning, that I would not have coverage. Instead, I commandeered my class to go up to the Multi-Purpose Room and set up for me.

5. The Multi-Purpose Room is locked. So, I leave my students there, and run down to the office to find a custodian to unlock. Then I let my kids in and direct the girls to set up the food and drinks, and the boys to line up the desks.

6. As we are doing that and the celebrated students are being called to the multi-purpose room, an all-call goes out for our aide to report to the office for some translation duty. He does not come in until 8:30, so I run down to the office, in case it's parents arriving for the celebration.

7. No, it's Brazilian parents coming to find out how their daughter is violating the dress code. She has been warned repeatedly, but finally gave the administration the last straw last Tuesday and was forced to wear school-issue sweatpants and a sweatshirt. She was traumatized, so I did not give her the instructive copy of "What NOT to Wear to School" that I had prepared using pictures from W magazine. Instead, after talking with her mother, I sent it home....

8. After I finish that, I run back upstairs to emcee the ESOL event. I am sweating and breathing a little hard, but manage to pull it off. We awarded certificates, I explained in English and Spanish the goals of the ESOL program and the process of monitoring students for two years after, and thanked the parents and everything. My colleague served punch and cookies - that was a big help.

9. I released the students and had my students clean up. As we were headed back to class, I passed by the computer lab. OOPS! We still had to take Accelerated Reader tests! So, we ducked in and did that.

!0. Back in the room, finally, I had my students work quietly, while I caught my breath. Two of my students are wearing halter tops under their t-shirts, which makes me wonder what they are doing after school...

11. After class, I detain one of my students to talk. I had the impression that she should not be in ESOL, and my talk with her confirms it. So, I will contact the registrar and have her moved to regular classes.

12. I still have a report due to the Central Office, and I am lacking half of the information necessary. This is partly because the former ESOL teacher left no records, and partly because some of the relevant information is at the high school...