State-side final count-down

It's hard to believe that I am finishing week 6 of student teaching! Big project is due 2 weeks from today....then 4 days later, I'm off to the new school in Kuwait! I can hardly wait! I'm anxious to meet the boys in my next class assignment! We're on the count-down! We received our plane reservation confirmations and itinerary tonight...which suddenly made the trip a "reality". All of a sudden, I'm a little nervous. Not about going...but just getting there! It's going to be a long flight! What do people do on an airplane for 13 hours???? I guess I'll find out!
My students here are finally calming down a little. Schedules are running smoother. I seem to be yelling less and they seem to be responding better to instruction...just in time for me to leave! It's been an interesting internship, thus far. I knew that it was going to be a difficult semester, but wasn't expecting it to be SO HARD! The extra work required by the university...reflections, projects, 6-point lesson plans, observations, Prof Development seminars, record-keeping....all of that... on top of teaching math, language arts - including reading and writing, and social studies - every day - all day long is exhausting! Those of us who survive--and believe me, there are those who don't....deserve an award for not suffering a nervous breakdown!
Here are the things I've learned..........
1. A teacher's work is never done. Especially, if you're the type of teacher who cares about the success of your student.
2. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape. Whatever you plan, better have a backup....technology fails and sometimes the students just can't handle "centers" today!
3. Activities that you think (and plan for) will take an hour, may actually take 1.5 hours throwing everything else off....and vice-versa...things that you thought would take an hour, are finished in 30 minutes (and then what?????)
4. "Idle hands (and bored students) are the devil's workshop" - you have to watch them every second of every day...or someone gets in trouble!
5. You love them and tell them every day that they are important...and encourage them to dream big and study hard...because they may not get that love and attention at home.
6. You plan for 27,000 seconds every day....so that the day is full of teachable moments..... in an effort that just one child will remember 1 second....and hope that it will have made a difference!!!!!