School's out

School was scheduled to finish on Saturday June 9. Then, a few days ago the principal announced that it would close instead on Friday the 8th. My son's class had a last history test yesterday and a few students from his class were expecting to be "interrogated" one last time in philosophy tomorrow. He was worried instead about a last surprise interrogation in science and history, for which he had planned to study this afternoon.

But instead, at about 12:30, the teachers received an announcement from the office that the school would be closing today. No last minute interrogations. No time to get organized for a party in the piazza. No time for good-bye's and such. The bell rang and the year was over. How is that for a different time orientation! One day more or less, whatever. The year had been long enough in any case. Let's be flexible.

My son said it was strange, not having a soft landing to the year, and the teachers were disturbed about not fininshing off their last testing. Some students will have final grades based on fewer individual grades than others. Now is that "fair"? Doesn't bother him -- a different sense of classroom competition.

I assume President Bush's arrival has something to do with this early closing as the school is in a central location and the police will have other things to worry about tomorrow than wild students getting out for the summer.

They got that today instead -- flour, eggs, tomatoes and more flew in the piazza and my son went straight into the shower when he got home. It is a kind of ritual, I just wouldn't want to have my car parked in that piazza today!

Happy summer.
a lunedi,
E