May 12 ~ “Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient.” Steve Maraboli

And so it begins -- the end of the school year grind.  Meetings with parents to give them the news of their child not making enough progress is just not my idea of fun.  In fact, it downright sucks.  No one wants to be the bearer of bad news -- and we educators never want a child to be retained.

Unfortunately, not all kids bloom at the same time.

For the parents who were emotional, I understand.  Really, I do.  For the ones who were understanding, I envy your certainty.

Over the years, I've learned to keep tissues on hand.  I've learned to listen.  I've learned to not take comments made in moments of upset as a personal attack.

But most of all, I've learned that summer vacation seems to heal the sting of disappointment.